USD ($)
EUR (€)
It’s A Dogfight
The Star Wars: X-Wing game system sees iconic ships from the Star Wars universe facing off in cosmic conflicts across the galaxy. The epic three by three feet play area, peppered with everything from asteroids and space debris to proximity mines and seismic charges, becomes a spacescape on your tabletop, and the highly-detailed miniatures only add to the feel that you’ve been transported through hyperspace to a galaxy far, far away. Will the Fang Fighter live up to this too?
Equip your armada with upgrades and choose from a range of pilots for each ship before jetting off to face the enemy with your manoeuvre dials, laying out the various barrel rolls, banks and sharp turns you can perform. Lock in your flight paths, then simultaneously reveal and execute them, blasting lasers and homing missiles as you attempt to balance placing your ship on your enemy’s six with avoiding incoming fire.
I’ve long found the appeal of X-Wing’s Scum and Villainy faction to be the unbridled variety between different ships (while the Rebels and Resistance, for example, all utilise a more defensive playstyle with a host of force-sensitives anticipating attacks). A ragtag band of all trades, they echo the infamous bounty hunter line-up in The Empire Strikes Back: robots, aliens and T-visored supercommandos all flying for the same fleet. And this Mandalorian Fang Fighter taps into that with its ruthless aggression as a highly-manoeuvrable attack craft.
Starfighter Salvo
With a high attack power of three, that’s certainly the role this ship fills. However, a meagre value of 4 for its hull and no built-in shields means the Fang Fighter feels akin to a falcon: light and graceful, but fiercely acrobatic and packing wicked talons. It’s a calculating niche for the game, and requires a cool-headed operator to match its fiery approach.
More rocket fuel is added to the flame of this aggressive playstyle by the awesomely thematic Concordia Faceoff ability, putting you in prime position when you fly headlong at your opponent; while defending, if the attack range is 1 and you’re in the attacker’s firing arc, you may change one die to an evade result. This encourages you to put pressure on your opponent’s ships, and it’s deeply satisfying to fly directly at them, fire off an ion torpedo then elegantly roll out of the line of fire.
The latter action is enhanced by the Fang Fighter’s torpedo slot, a useful option (if a little limited in choices) which straps a heavy subsystem-disabling payload beneath your wingtips. Ionising your opponent to disable their ability to get a target lock on you is an advantageous move if you want to make full, unfettered use of your Faceoff charge.
This also all deviously compliments both the unique ability of pilot Fenn Rau (allowing him to roll an additional die at range 1) and the included Fearless talent card, identical to the Concordia Faceoff but for attacking instead of defending, changing one of your die results to a hit at range 1. These all combine to ensure your most effective positions are either on your opponent’s tail, or on a collision course!
Try Spinning, That’s A Good Trick
To dive into attack position, you’ll be utilising the manoeuvre dial, and each starship’s is different. Blue manoeuvres are lazy turns and slow burns: performing one will remove a stress token applied to your pilot, but it won’t exactly whip you round into weapons range. A white manoeuvre is your standard, with ninety degree turns and greater distances travelled. But the red manoeuvres are where the real G-forces lie. Wrench the stick to put the Fang Fighter into an aptly-named Tallon Roll, banking hard and turning the ship to sidestep and get the drop on an unsuspecting enemy.
Finally, there’s the Koiogran Turn. This, the second and last of the Fang Fighter’s red manoeuvres and arguably its wildest, launches the ship forward as it simultaneously spins 180 degrees to bite back at a pursuer for an instant counterattack!
Flying The Colours
The model itself, streamlined and intricately painted, mirrors this swift-thrustered moveset, with this Second Edition version newly-equipped with rotating wings for some added flair. As a ship in the small size class, its harsh angles are evocative of its namesake whilst that deep green evokes villainous in-universe favourites like Boba Fett, and its agility makes playing against it an exercise in cunning tactics and swift decisions.
The card artworks, too, like tiny paintings, are awash with saturated colours, flaring lasers and glowing hot thrusters to offset the dark corners of the galaxy which comprise the game’s setting. With each new expansion I’m struck by the character afforded each pilot by the unique card portrait of their ship. With the Fang Fighter, the commando Kad Solus spins his Fang’s wings to fire off a blistering blue torpedo; Old Teroch, eerily calm, speeds through a whirling cloud of debris; and Fenn Rau - the sinister Skull Squadron leader - leaves arcing topaz trails against the afterglow of bubbling asteroid magma.
Lone Wolf
The whole set all comes together to form a decidedly sabre-rattling expansion. It’s not just its Mandalorian pilots’ helmets - calling to mind those worn by teutonic crusaders - which make this ship feel like a knight in shining armour; its principal attack strategy revolves around jousting! It’s a unique playstyle that’s hard to master but parsecs of fun to fly.
Star Wars X-Wing still sees support, with the licence having recently passed to Atomic Mass Games, and the most recent wave adding two more Mandalorian starships in the form of the sleek Gauntlet Fighter - a beefier version of the Fang Fighter - and the gleaming chromium Razor Crest. But, all these years later, this feisty little Fang Fighter can still bare its teeth with the best of them.
That concludes our thoughts on the Fang Fighter expansion. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy the Fang Fighter expansion today click here!
