Fly for Freedom

“General, the Spectres are the real deal.”
   –Ahsoka Tano, Star Wars: Rebels

When X-Wing™ Second Edition is released on September 13, it’ll introduce a whole new era of tense space battles in the Star Wars galaxy. During these battles, you have the chance to lead elite squadrons from the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, or the galaxy’s most notorious Scum and Villainy, making use of each faction’s pilots and starfighters to win the upper hand.

The first step to entering this new era is, of course, building a squad to fly into battle. In addition to the miniatures, pilot cards, and upgrade cards available in the X-Wing Second Edition Core Set, the Conversion Kit for each faction provides the components you need to bring your collection of first edition ships into the second edition. Finally, the seven ship expansions available at launch can help round out your collection, giving you even more options for creating a squadron that fits your style.

To demonstrate the possibilities of squad building in X-Wing Second Edition, designer Alex Davy has created a list for each of the three factions available at launch. We’ll explore each of these lists in the lead-up to the game’s launch. Join us today as we take a look at Alex’s Rebel Alliance squadron!

The Ghosts of Lothal

This Rebel list focuses on the Spectres and their signature ship, the Ghost. Operating during the fledgling days of the Rebellion, the Ghost’s crew have forged strong bonds during their operations around Lothal. It should be no surprise, then, that the crew members present in this list exhibit some incredible synergy that should help their VCX-100 light freighter overcome its limitations. Chiefly, the Ghost isn’t maneuverable enough to escape enemy fire and its shields aren’t quite as hearty as they were in the first edition. As a result, this list focuses on having the crew work together to attack as many times as possible.

Everything begins with two Force-sensitive characters. With the Jedi Kanan Jarrus in the Ghost’s pilot seat and his student Ezra Bridger supporting him as a gunner, the ship has a pool of three Force tokens, giving it the freedom to modify focus results or fuel these character’s abilities. Ezra's ability is particularly useful here, allowing you to perform a bonus attack with your equipped Ion Cannon Turret.  After spending the Force token to perform this attack, the other two Force tokens can then be used to modify your attack dice for a better chance of ionizing your target. Of course, this might not be necessary if you’re stressed and have the chance to reroll one of your attack dice.

Ezra isn’t the only member of the crew who grants the ship a bonus while stressed, either. In fact, everyone aboard the Ghost performs at their best while under pressure, bucking the normal restrictions placed on ships with stress tokens. Hera Syndulla lets you perform red maneuvers while stressed and "Chopper"  lets you keep taking actions at the cost of a damage or exposing a damage card. The result is a ship with more freedom to perform pinpoint maneuvers or a daring Koiogran turn at just the right moment. What’s more, the ship can still acquire locks, ensuring you can reroll your attack dice even while performing the most dangerous maneuvers.

A Larger Rebellion   

The Ghost may be the centerpiece of this Rebel squadron, but it certainly isn’t the only ship that can make a contribution. Sabine Wren takes the controls of the Phantom, the Ghost’s Attack Shuttle. Smaller and more nimble than the Ghost,  the Attack Shuttle opens up new tactical possibilities, starting with its ability to dock with the VCX-100. Normally, a ship must be at Range 0 of its carrier ship to dock, but the Phantom  Title allows the Attack Shuttle to dock at Range 0–1, making it significantly easier for the shuttle to come on board.

Once it's docked with the Ghost, the Phantom can continue the offensive onslaught started by Ezra Bridger thanks to both ships’ complementary abilities. The VCX-100’s Tail Gun gives it a rear arc primary weapon while it has a docked ship and the Attack Shuttle’s Locked and Loaded lets you perform a primary weapon attack from the Ghost's rear arc after attacking from its front arc or a turret. When taken together, the Ghost can fire twice and cover nearly all its arcs in a single activation, making it a particularly difficult ship to attack without the threat of return fire.

This configuration is certainly powerful, but also certain to attract the fire of opposing squadrons. Sometimes it’s more useful to have another ship acting independently, to draw enemy fire or approach from a different angle. With her unique abilities, Sabine is more than up to the task. She can perform a barrel roll or boost action before activating, making her adept at ducking away from enemy fire and, if she does find herself in an enemy’s sights, she can always evade to minimize the damage. In fact, her ability makes it easier for her to line up a shot and use her Predator talent. A quick barrel roll or boost gives her even more freedom to adjust her position and get an opposing ship in her bullseye arc.

Although they are an effective team, the Spectres did not operate completely independently. They eventually became part of the Phoenix Cell of rebels, and this element is represented by the final ship in the squadron: a single RZ-1 A-wing starfighter. The Phoenix Squadron Pilot at the controls of this ship may be lacking in experience, but they do have one major advantage: a complement of Proton Rockets.  If they can line up the shot, these rockets unleash a salvo of five attack dice, potentially dealing a critical blow to anything in their path.

May the Force Be with You

The Spectres are just one sliver of what the Rebel Alliance brings to X-Wing Second Edition. With a vast assortment of ships, pilots, and upgrades available at launch, the game invites you to explore countless combinations and create the squadron you want to fly. Join us in the lead-up to launch as we explore lists for both the Galactic Empire and the Scum and Villainy factions!

Look for the Rebel Alliance Conversion Kit (SWZ06), the T-65 X-Wing Expansion Pack (SWZ12), the BTL-A4 Y-Wing Expansion Pack (SWZ13), and the Rebel Alliance Maneuver Dial Upgrade Kit (SWZ09) at your local retailer on September 13, 2018, and pre-order them at your local retailer or online through our website today!