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You Can Run…
The thunder of ventral cannons and piercing whistle of an incoming concussion missile are the only warnings you’ll receive that the pitiless Slave I is on your tail, and that the galaxy’s most notorious bounty hunter will settle for nothing less than your capture… dead or alive.
The Slave I Expansion roars into the Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game with a vengeance! A medium ship in the Scum and Villainy faction, let’s analyse which role is fulfilled by this modified Firespray Assault Craft’s ensemble of deadly, criminal-tracking weaponry.
…But You’ll Only Die Tired
Before we talk ship, let’s talk scum: the many named Aces in the expansion all have unique intrinsic talents, feeling incredibly thematic and suitably villainous. Many other ships in the game might have one unique ability for the expected main character (Darth Vader and his TIE Advanced x1, for instance), but the other pilots available are all identical. Not so here!
Maybe, donning the mantle of Captain of the Binayre Pirates, you’ll fly in tandem with a pair of Z-95 Headhunters (sold separately) as Kath Scarlet, utilising her ability to roll an additional primary attack die if allied ships are swarming your opponent at range 0. Perhaps your flying style is to watch your back, focusing on unstoppable auxiliary firepower as the Imperial deserter Krassis Trelix; his ability allows you to perform primary special attacks from your rear firing arc and roll an additional attack die if you do so, catching any pursuers unawares.
Regardless, this expansion adds perhaps the most adaptable roster of Aces for a single ship to date, and that’s no surprise seeing as the opportunity to take to the stars aboard the Fett family heirloom will no doubt set a high bar for fans’ expectations.
No Good To Me Dead
One of the greatest aspects of Star Wars: X-Wing is how faithfully it echoes its source material. And speaking of the Fetts, what is Slave I without the Son of Jango at her helm?
With the options to either fly or crew the Firespray with Boba Fett, each approach feels as inseparable from bounty hunter lore as a Mandalorian from his armour. As pilot, Fett parallels his father before him as he fares best when surrounded, allowing you to reroll an attack die for each enemy ship closing in at range 0-1.
As a crew member, you can use Fett to thematically recreate Slave I’s stealthy pursuit of the Millenium Falcon as she peels off from concealment in a nearby asteroid belt; this upgrade sees you start in reserve rather than on the field, instead hiding in the shadows at range 0 of an obstacle to kick off the dogfight with a clandestine clash.
What’s in a name? Well, you’ll also want to make use of the Slave I title upgrade to earn the ability to swap a turn or bank manoeuvre to the opposite bearing after you reveal it, jinking to one side to juke any ships on your tail. Or, in a move straight out of Top Gun’s playbook, hit the brakes and watch your opponent fly right by; Inertial Dampeners replace your revealed manoeuvre with a complete stop. But beware, the crushing halt of all that momentum will sacrifice one of your shields!
Seismic Activity
You likely only need to hear this ship’s name to recall the heart-stopping electronic pulse and devastating cerulean shockwave of a Seismic Charge, and this expansion introduces this space-splitting bomb with aplomb.
In keeping with its brief but unforgettable appearance in Attack of the Clones, this upgrade - in the Firespray’s Payload slot - relies on detonating nearby hazards for destructive effect. At the end of the Activation phase, the Seismic Charge obliterates an obstacle at range 0-1, and any ships caught in the same radius of the resulting expanse of debris will take damage.
Slave I also comes equipped with blinking Proximity Mines; the large tokens for this two-charge Payload upgrade can be dropped in your wake. Their sensor range must then be avoided lest an unwitting enemy fighter flies too close, at which point it will detonate. If you cross paths with one of these dormant devices, you must roll two attack dice and take any hits plus an additional matching hit for each result.
No Disintegrations
On to visuals, and this expansion’s artwork is some of the best I've seen for the game. With its versatile variety of Aces, this expansion’s profile cards depict custom Firesprays so slashed with rippling scarlet accents or blanketed in a desert-rat sandy green that you’ll want to bust out the paints and customise your own miniature like a space pirate flying their colours. Even the stock standard unnamed ‘Bounty Hunter’ with no innate ability is afforded a chillingly blood-red hull.
And that model; next to the game’s vast array of small ships, Slave I cuts an impregnable figure with its sweeping viewport, thick wing mounts and battering ram nose. Even amid the miniature starscape on your tabletop, this vessel is burly and brutish. But the delicately detailed and pristinely painted wings and thruster gimbals betray the Firespray’s tight manoeuvrability so befitting of the on-screen craft’s infamous white-knuckle asteroid chase.
Fetching A High Bounty
Add further upgrades like the Veteran Tail Gunner (affording you a bonus auxiliary attack to make use of this ship’s crucial rear firing arc) or titles such as the Andrasta to add a payload slot or Marauder to reroll an attack die on a primary rear arc attack, and this expansion is positively bristling with firepower, advanced manoeuvres and vicious tactics.
Introducing a collection of new mechanics to beef up future X-Wing matches, the Slave I Expansion truly deserves to be as ‘Wanted’ as the gangsters and criminals crewing it. The higher price point is reflected in a gorgeous range of artworks, the undeniable might of one of the Star Wars universe’s most eye-catching and iconic ships, and a host of hardware worthy of a Hutt’s hoard.
That concludes our thoughts on Star Wars X-Wing Slave I. Do you agree? Let us know your thoughts and tag us on social media @zatugames. To buy Star Wars X-Wing Slave I today click here!
