“Happy beeps here, buddy, come on. We’ve pulled crazier stunts than this.”
   –Poe Dameron, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Nearly 30 years after the Battle of Endor, the struggle for the fate of the Star Wars galaxy has taken a drastic turn. The nefarious First Order has decimated the Republic and is now on the verge of eliminating the only remaining military force that stands in the way of total galactic domination: the Resistance. Launching their starfighters into battle, the Resistance hopes to gain whatever ground it can against the rising tyranny.   

You’ll have the chance to play out the engagements between these two dueling powers when both the Resistance and First Order enter the battles of X-Wing™ later this year. The First Order Conversion Kit and Resistance Conversion Kit give you everything you need to bring your collection of Resistance and First Order ships from the first edition into the second edition and begin building your own squadrons.

Additionally, the T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack and the TIE/fo Fighter Expansion Pack help you round out your Resistance and First Order squadrons with even more fighters. Finally, with the RZ-2 A-Wing Expansion, you have a completely new option that adds some blinding speed to your Resistance squadrons.

Today we’re going to explore the squad-building possibilities of these new factions by taking a look at two lists created by designer Alex Davy!

Heroes of D’Qar

Fittingly, both of these lists draw their inspiration from events that took place as the Resistance was evacuating their base on D’Qar and immediately after. On the Resistance side, this list includes pilots who aided in the valiant attack run that brought down a First Order dreadnought. Together, these pilots give you a good taste of the unique flair the Resistance brings to X-Wing and lets you fly the ships that form the bulk of their fleet.

Unsurprisingly, this list revolves around none other than

Poe Dameron.

 As we discussed in our preview of the T-70 X-Wing, Poe is a consummate ace who can go toe-to-toe with anyone in a fight. As such, his high initiative and powerful ability—along with the many points of upgrades he’s carrying on his T-70—make him a natural target for enemy ships.

Fortunately for Poe, the majority of his upgrades help him use his ability to maximum effect. Both

BB-8

and the

 give him the maneuverability he needs to avoid enemy firing arcs and unleash his

Heavy Laser Cannon

to devastating effect. And while these cards have limited charges, Poe can always close his

Integrated S-foils

to gain even more maneuverability. In addition to his incredible positioning options, Poe’s

Ferrosphere Paint

makes it easy for him to avoid any ship that acquires a lock on him and, if all else fails, his

Heroic

talent gives him another chance to make a critical attack or defense roll.

The TIE/fo is in Vennie’s turret arc and Tallissan Lintra’s bullseye arc, so Vennie can roll an additional defense die and add a focus result to his roll!

If all these options weren’t enough, Poe is supported by two pilots that can both dole out damage and keep him around to the endgame.

Tallissan Lintra’s

RZ-2 A-wing is built on speed and she can use her ability to give Poe an extra defense die if the need should arise. Meanwhile,

Vennie

and her MG-100 StarFortress may lack the speed and mobility of the other ships, but they make up for it with heavy shields and a thick hull.

This large-based ship is perfect for blocking opposing ships and forcing them to target her instead of Talli or Poe. Even with one agility, dealing damage to Vennie can be a surprisingly frustrating task. She can add a focus result to her defense rolls if the attacker is in a friendly ship’s turret arc, including her own. If the enemy somehow gets the upper hand, Tallissan Lintra also has a turret arc that can help Vennie regain her focus. Better yet, Vennie and Talli’s abilities can be combined to let her roll two defense dice and add the focus to the results! Lastly, even before getting into the thick of the battle, Vennie can use her Trajectory Simulator to launch some 

Seismic Charges

 for a chance to deal some damage to any enemy ships flying too close to any nearby obstacles.     

Extinguish the Spark

On the other side, the First Order roars into battle looking to unleash all of its aggression. The three advanced starfighters you find here show a clear evolution from Imperial ships, retaining their trademark agility while also featuring greater offensive potential. The result is a list that relies on attacking as much—and as often—as possible to wreak as much havoc as you can.

Like the Resistance squadron, this list puts you in command of two of the First Order’s best pilots, led by the nefarious

Kylo Ren.

 Although he may not have the quite the initiative of Poe Dameron, Ren’s

Supernatural Reflexes

and his TIE/vn Silencer’s built-in Autothrusters help him equal Dameron in terms of sheer mobility.

After he sets up an attack with of a combination these abilities, Kylo Ren can still spend a Force charge to modify one of his attack dice, which makes

Advanced Optics

particularly useful to him. This Tech upgrade gives Kylo Ren even more control over his dice, spending a focus token to change a blank to a hit while he performs an attack.

Even when he isn’t directly attacking, Kylo Ren is still plotting ways to hurt his opponents. After he defends, he can spend a Force charge to grant the attacker the

I’ll Show You the Dark Side

condition. This card might not have an immediate effect, but it does give Kylo Ren a chance to choose a Pilot damage card that will be dealt to the ship the next time it suffers a critical damage.

If they are in the right position, “Quickdraw” can launch attacks against two separate targets in a single round!

Even though Kylo Ren’s fellow pilots can’t tap into the power of the Force to dole out damage, that doesn’t make them any less lethal. His wingmate

“Quickdraw”

has an even higher initiative and plenty of options for using the TIE/sf Fighter’s Heavy Weapon Turret to maximum effect. Hardly one to tolerate enemy fire, “Quickdraw” can quickly retaliate with a bonus primary attack after losing a shield.

While this ability could be reserved for losing shields to enemy attacks, this list gets a bit more creative. Here, “Quickdraw” can execute a red maneuver and perform an attack. Then, during the End Phase, they can suffer a damage with their equipped

Electronic Baffle

to remove their stress token and lose a shield, performing a bonus primary attack! With a

Special Forces Gunner

tagging along, the TIE/sf becomes even more flexible, potentially granting “Quickdraw” an additional attack die out of their front arc or a bonus primary attack depending on the direction of their turret arc.

Not to be outdone, the final pilot of this list might not have the same damage potential as the other two pilots, but still has a dedicated battle plan. The

Ion Missiles

carried by

“Backdraft”

provide them with perfect opportunities to use their ability. After successfully ionizing a ship, “Backdraft” can fly right over it to set up a Range 1, four-dice attack out of their rear arc. 

Enter the Fight

The fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance. Hoping to seize the advantage, the First Order carries out a campaign of terror across the galaxy. Meanwhile, the Resistance relies on its best pilots to hold back the rising tide. It’s time to choose a side and enter the fight!

Look for Wave II of X-Wing at your local retailer soon! You can pre-order your copies of these expansions at your local retailer or through our website today!

“The gold of a lowland lord is as worthless as a halfman’s promises.”
   –Gunthor Son of Gurn, A Game of Thrones

The world of Westeros is full of contrast and contradiction. The gentry of King’s Landing may rail against taxes and power-grabbing courtiers, but their lives are posh and easy compared to the ironborn on the windswept rocks of the Iron Isles. And while the Greyjoys forsake royal decrees and courtly intrigues, they are not the only ones in A Song of Ice and Fire who are willing to live by the edge of their swords.

In Kings of the Isles, the newest deluxe expansion for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, House Greyjoy takes center stage with their raiders, reavers, and a full armada of warships for the Iron Fleet. Still, every other faction also gains two new non-loyal cards in this expansion, and today, we’ll take a closer look at the Lannister and Targaryen cards in Kings of the Isles!

The Mountains

The Clansmen of Westeros are dangerous and unpredictable, but they can be fiercely loyal to those who have earned their trust—such as Tyrion Lannister. In Kings of the Isles, House Lannister gains two cards that help to bridge the gap between the intrigue-heavy Lannister characters and their Clansman allies.

Gunthor Son of Gurn

(Kings of the Isles, 27), like many of his Clansman brethren, is a master of ambush. For four gold, you can spring Gunthor into play in the midst of the challenges phase to launch an unexpected attack. But Gunthor is not purely concerned with murder and pillage, like so many of his comrades. In fact, Gunthor understands the importance of destroying your opponent’s plans—whenever you win a challenge while attacking with Gunthor, your opponent must choose and discard a card from their hand.

You’ll only remove your opponent’s least important card with Gunthor, but it still offers you a chance to trigger

Cersei Lannister

(Lions of Casterly Rock, 1), granting you more power and lending some bite to your intrigue challenges. And if the time comes that you need Cersei to defend her power in battle, you can use

My Mind Is My Weapon

(Kings of the Isles, 28). This event lets you choose a character with an intrigue icon and have it join your side of the battle during a military challenge! Not only does this give you a boost to unexpectedly win a challenge, My Mind Is My Weapon doesn’t force your character to kneel, leaving you free to make more challenges and press your advantage.

The Plains

Far from the Iron Isles, the open plains of Essos are home to the Dothraki, the mighty horselords. These horsemen also dwell in the wilds, far from civilization and sophistication, but they can certainly turn the tide of battle in your favor.

The Targaryen character in Kings of the Isles is

Cohollo

(Kings of the Isles, 35)—one of Khal Drogo’s Bloodriders, sworn to protect his khal with his life. In the game, Cohollo proves his devotion by throwing himself into any challenge. Cohollo costs only four gold and offers five STR and intimidate. And although he has no challenge icons of his own, that won’t stop you from putting this Bloodrider into any challenge you like—you simply have to discard a card and kneel Cohollo to have him join any challenge on your side.

As you can easily imagine, the ability to join a challenge at any stage is crucial. Your opponent must constantly reckon on Cohollo joining the challenge, but if your opponent’s defenses are too strong, you’ll simply hold him in reserve for the next challenge. And although you must discard a card to bring Cohollo into the challenge, that’s hardly a problem if you have

Meereen

(The March on Winterfell, 34) feeding you three extra cards every round. You could even use

“Dance of the Dragons”

(Kings of the Isles, 36) to bring your discarded card back to your hand.

By the Edge of the Sword

House Greyjoy’s strength is rising with the tide, but they are not the only ones in Westeros who are willing to fight and die for the Iron Throne. No matter which faction you support, you’ll have plenty of reason to pick up the newest deluxe expansion for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game.

Pre-order your copy of Kings of the Isles (GT45) at your local retailer or online through our website today!  

“We stand here amid my achievement, not yours!”
   —Director Orson Krennic, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Deep in a shadowy corner of the stars, Imperial engineers are quietly developing the ultimate weapon, one that could bring the Star Wars™ galaxy to its knees. Guiding this project with a shadowy hand is one of the most cunning and ruthless minds in the entire Imperial military and soon this brilliant tactician and his entourage can be at your disposal. Fantasy Flight Games is happy to announce two new Imperial units for Star Wars: Legion:

• Director Orson Krennic Commander Expansion
• Imperial Death Troopers Unit Expansion

These expansions represent the pinnacle of Imperial might, allowing you to apply the results of the Empire’s research into advanced weapons technologies on the battlefields of the Galactic Civil War. With an elite group of ruthlessly efficient soldiers and a new commander who knows exactly how to use them, the Rebels won’t know what hit them. 

Director Orson Krennic Commander Expansion

Every great achievement requires just as much ambition, and there are few as ambitious as Director Orson Krennic. As the head of the Empire’s Advanced Weapons Research division, he oversaw the creation of the dreaded Death Star, using it wipe out any trace of the Empire’s activities on Jedha.

Director Krennic brings the same cunning that helped him build one of the most powerful superweapons the galaxy has ever known to the battlefields of Star Wars: Legion. In these fights, he’ll do whatever it takes to push his own agenda and ensure that his command cards win priority. Even better, Krennic’s position and skills entitle him to his own entourage of Imperial Death Troopers, giving you plenty of room for other special forces units in your army.

The Director Orson Krennic Commander Expansion includes one finely detailed, easily assembled Director Orson Krennic miniature ready to march his troops into battle along with three new command cards that allow him to issue specific orders in the thick of battle. Finally, three upgrade cards give you even more power to customize your commanders and their equipment.

We’ll take a full look at everything inside the Director Orson Krennic Commander Expansion, including all three of his signature command cards, in a future preview!

Imperial Death Troopers Unit Expansion

Tactically advancing across the battlefields like inhuman revenants, Imperial death troopers are a terrifying sight. Adorned in jet black armor and carrying an arsenal of weapons and equipment, these troopers are the elite soldiers of the Tarkin Initiative. Trained to be efficient and merciless, they are also rumored to undergo classified medical augmentations.

Death trooper candidates are hand-selected from the Stormtrooper Corps by Imperial Intelligence itself and, as such, these elite troops display skills beyond those seen in other Imperial troops. Unfazed by enemy fire, death troopers wade into battle, firing with unmatched precision. They display so much discipline, in fact, that they can remove a suppression token when they are issued an order, keeping them pressing the attack no matter how much adversity they face.

Within the Imperial Death Troopers Unit Expansion, you’ll find everything you need to add a squad of ruthless death troopers to your Imperial army. Six finely sculpted death trooper miniatures are accompanied by a unit card, an assortment of tokens, and an array of upgrade cards that give your death troopers access to even more advanced weaponry.

We’ll take a look at everything included in the Imperial Death Troopers Unit Expansion in a future preview!

On the Verge of Greatness

With the creation of the Death Star, the Empire has a weapon that can ensure its dominance for generations to come. Add some advanced weapons of your own to the fight against the Rebellion with these expansions for Star Wars: Legion!

Look for the Director Orson Krennic Commander Expansion (SWL33) and the Imperial Death Troopers Unit Expansion (SWL34) at your local retailer in the first quarter of 2019. Pre-order your copy at your local retailer or online through our website here!