I want to start playing a Star Wars card game, should this be the one?

[dewbie420 1,632]

I want to play the FFG LCG but there are so many expansions and I'm afraid I'm getting a late start.

 

I wonder if this is the one to try. (It's new and I'm new.) There aren't too many products...yet: easier to afford.

 

Would anyone like to guide me in which game I should go for? I have until November to decide. What are the pros and cons about FFG's other Star Wars card game?

[JackofHearts 26]

I seriously reccomend the LCG. Easily one of the finest card games ever made. A collectible product may appear to be cheaper, but it will ultimately be extremely expensive in the long run. You can get into the LCG, X Wing, and Armada relatively cheaply if you buy from ebay or other secondary markets.

[dboeren1 294]

The game isn't out yet so consider this speculation, but my opinion is that this is the worst game you could possibly pick.  Most LCG players hate the blind booster model with a passion.  The game also looks super-lightweight (like Dicemasters), any LCG will be vastly deeper and more interesting.  It's not certain whether the game will be successful either, directly competing against Dicemasters.  Will the Star Wars license be enough for people to pay 3x as much per booster?  Finally, there is the moral issue of supporting this move to random packaging which goes against not only the fans but against FFG's own principles.  I can only assume that Asmodee is forcing them into it and FFG hates it as much as we do.  But if we don't push back, it will not be the last.

 

So yeah, I would regard this as a children's game and not a serious contender against any LCG.  You obviously play X-Wing, this will be too simplistic to hold your interest I think.

 

For the deepest information on LCGs, what you want to do is visit cardgamedb.com.  If you want to get in on the ground floor, there's Game of Thrones.  If you want a little bit more developed, you can try Conquest.  Star Wars has a bigger pool but not everyone likes the objective set building, I regard this as the weakest of the competitive LCGs.  Netrunner has the best competitive scene but has a good sized pool and is the "most different" of the bunch.

 

Getting a late start isn't that big a deal from a competitive standpoint if you have prior experience in any other competitive game (like X-Wing).  Did you mean from a monetary standpoint?  Even so, you don't have to buy everything on day one, just gradually grow your collection as you are gaining experience.

Edited July 29, 2016 by dboeren

[Sithborg 11,644]

Yeah, this game is looking extremely light. Not a bad thing, especially with what I think their target audience is, but it is up to you. 

[Budgernaut 6,255]

You may be behind on the Force packs, but the deluxe boxes never rotate out, so you should be fine picking up the deluxe boxes and making decks from those. Then, if a particular objective set catches your eye, pick up that Force Pack. Honestly, your Dark Side deck can do decently well with just two copies of the Core. The Light Side deck will be a bit harder to build, but even the sets from Between the Shadows should be enough to get you winning games.

 

I don't know much about this new game, but I can tell you the LCG is fantastic and you shouldn't skip it.

[HolySorcerer 4,105]

No.

[Toqtamish 3,643]

Sure depending on what you are looking for. Check out both and pick the one you prefer, or even better get both. 

[Boba Rick 4,209]

The LCG is awesome.

 

I sold out of it for X-Wing and Imperial Assault.  It's against my religion to own more than two Star Wars tabletop games, but I've been shopping for a new religion as of late.

[Darth Sidious 15]

Sure depending on what you are looking for. Check out both and pick the one you prefer, or even better get both. 

This. If you play it and enjoy it then show it to others and get them excited about it. If you like the LCG then do the same with it. It isn't an either or, but a what do you have the most fun doing. As for the people who say it is simplistic and wont hold your attention they don't really have any idea. No one has even played it yet. Judge for yourself when you get a chance to play it or when more info becomes available. Above all else, it is a game and about having fun.  

[power500500 220]

While Imperial Assault is still sort of its adolescence, it is a game that I can't approve of enough. Not only does it have a great competitive community but also you can play a dungeon crawler type game with upwards of four or five other friends. I will say that the organized play scene at the moment does demand the big box expansions so it may be a little pricey but you can decide if you want to go that far once you've played with the base set materials. The LCG is AWESOME but I just like minis more!  

[Supertoe 662]

I seriously reccomend the LCG. Easily one of the finest card games ever made. A collectible product may appear to be cheaper, but it will ultimately be extremely expensive in the long run. You can get into the LCG, X Wing, and Armada relatively cheaply if you buy from ebay or other secondary markets.

Okay, while the LCG isn't quite as good as the other ones, it is definitely better than this one.

 

But Imperial Assault is what I'd recommend.

[Robin Graves 6,054]

FFG makes a ton of different SW games ranging from expensive and deep with lots of expansions to lighter, smaller and cheaper. Ask yourself what sort of game you would like to play (and how much credits you are willing to spend on it) and there should be someting here for you.

 

From the deep end i'd say Imperial Assault. From the light side; I'd say possibly this game- altough we haven't got the rules yet, it does look like an interesting combo of card and dice game. Destiny might not be the best game but I'm already likeing it more than Empire vs Rebellion (or SW: Blackjack as it should have been called.)

[Budgernaut 6,255]

FFG makes a ton of different SW games ranging from expensive and deep with lots of expansions to lighter, smaller and cheaper. Ask yourself what sort of game you would like to play (and how much credits you are willing to spend on it) and there should be someting here for you.

 

From the deep end i'd say Imperial Assault. From the light side; I'd say possibly this game- altough we haven't got the rules yet, it does look like an interesting combo of card and dice game. Destiny might not be the best game but I'm already likeing it more than Empire vs Rebellion (or SW: Blackjack as it should have been called.)

Hey, don't knock Empire vs. Rebellion! That game is really fun! It has way more depth than Black Jack. And I love the Star Wars theme on it. I think the people who were disappointed with it were those who didn't research it well beforehand. I read all I could about it and watched videos of its predacessor (sp.?) before it came out, and I actually liked it more than I thought I would.

[Robin Graves 6,054]

 

FFG makes a ton of different SW games ranging from expensive and deep with lots of expansions to lighter, smaller and cheaper. Ask yourself what sort of game you would like to play (and how much credits you are willing to spend on it) and there should be someting here for you.

 

From the deep end i'd say Imperial Assault. From the light side; I'd say possibly this game- altough we haven't got the rules yet, it does look like an interesting combo of card and dice game. Destiny might not be the best game but I'm already likeing it more than Empire vs Rebellion (or SW: Blackjack as it should have been called.)

Hey, don't knock Empire vs. Rebellion! That game is really fun! It has way more depth than Black Jack. And I love the Star Wars theme on it. I think the people who were disappointed with it were those who didn't research it well beforehand. I read all I could about it and watched videos of its predacessor (sp.?) before it came out, and I actually liked it more than I thought I would.

 

 

I didn't say it wasn't any fun, but when I saw Tom vassel's review of it, I must admit I was a bit dissapointed. While destiny has me intrested...

[Firespray-32 5,424]

LCG all the way. It's well designed and don't feel you need to buy all the expansions for it at once. Besides, they added rotation the LCGs so they cap out on the number of expansions in the game: you won't be permanently behind.

 

This one's a blind buy game (something FFG has been very opposed to in the past). There are fewer cards currently but they're in random boosters.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Blue Five

[davidhaus 343]

I played the LCG for a while. It's a great game. There are interesting moments, like the edge battle, that really make it intriguing. I was never crazy about the objective set style of deck building (Basically you have 10 options for building a deck of 60 cards), but I understand its merit and appreciate it being unique from other games. 

 

My ONLY PROBLEM that really made me stop playing is the lack of a large player community. I tried everything to get different guys into the game, set-up some demo times at local stores, etc. I drove hours just to play in a tournament in a different city. Eventually I got tired of trying to force people to like the game, so I gave up. I saw that the X-Wing community was thriving and bought in. I don't regret it for a second. The whole reason I play games like this is for the community... the face-to-face friendships that develop over strategy games. It killed me that I couldn't find that with the LCG, as I loved that game (and will probably bust it out at Christmas with my brother when I visit.) But now I get that with X-Wing. 

 

I realize this may just be an issue for me where I live, but it does seem like the SWLCG has not taken off compared to some of the other LCG brands. My advice would be to look into the local community and see if there's some people playing it. And if so, ask them to demo the game for you before you spend a lot of money on it. I'm personally very excited about Destiny and will probably buy in when it releases. We'll see if it picks up steam!

[BigKahuna 737]

The Star Wars LCG is in my humble opinion one of the weakest LCG's they make.  

 

For dueling Warhammer Conquest, Game of Thrones and Netrunner are all superior.  Lord of the Rings the card game is also a fantastic experience although different in that its a cooperative game.  I've never played Cathulu but from what I hear its also absolutely fantastic.  

 

I think if your a die hard Star Wars fan and you absolutely must play Star Wars I don't think its a terrible pick or anything but unless Star Wars matters more to you than the quality of mechanics, interactions and gameplay there are better LCG's made by FFG these days.  In the end the only question you have to ask yourself is do yo have people who will play it with you and the easiest way to answer that question is to buy the core set, bring it to a few sessions and measure the reactions.  You'll know your good to go if the next time you meet up people have their own copies and are begging you to play.  

[ScottieATF 2,867]

This looks to be a much lighter game then the SWLCG, that's pretty much all we can say for certain at this point. Considering one of the criticisms often given about the LCG is its learning curve, Destiny being a lighter game may not be a negative thing. It's going to depend on your gaming preferences.

Destiny is likely, at least initially, to have more players readily available to play with then SWLCG. Available playgroups is going to be a concern with the LCG as it has become a fairly niche product and doesn't draw well outside of certain areas. So unless you have others you are going to be playing the LCG with Destiny, just by virtue of being new and lighter, will probably offer you much more opportunity for getting games.

And then there is your comfort level with collectible concepts. We don't know what rarity ratios FFG is going to go with, but even if it is a good one the game is still collectible and that is a thing you have to weigh. I certainly don't agree with the moral imperative line of ranting coming from some but consider if you are ok with blind purchases.

But at this point we don't know enough about the game play, where it will fit in as far as OP, or rarity distribution.

Though already it's been advertised more then then SWLCG.

Edited July 30, 2016 by ScottieATF

[Boba Fatt 103]

Yes.

[MarthWMaster 367]

You may be behind on the Force packs, but the deluxe boxes never rotate out, so you should be fine picking up the deluxe boxes and making decks from those. Then, if a particular objective set catches your eye, pick up that Force Pack. Honestly, your Dark Side deck can do decently well with just two copies of the Core. The Light Side deck will be a bit harder to build, but even the sets from Between the Shadows should be enough to get you winning games.

 

I don't know much about this new game, but I can tell you the LCG is fantastic and you shouldn't skip it.

I largely agree with this, but would also like to add that the first two cycles of Force Packs, the "Hoth" and "Echoes of the Force" cycles, will be rotating out in early 2018, marking the start of the game's rotational calendar. There are some powerful objective sets in these two cycles, especially the latter, but rotation is something to be aware of should you wish to participate in organized play.