A New Classic

“Permission to hop in an X-wing and blow something up?”
   –Poe Dameron, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

During the Galactic Civil War, the T-65 X-wing became one of the most recognizable starfighters in the Star Wars galaxy, its use by the Rebel Alliance earning it a reputation as a highly versatile and effective military vehicle. So effective, in fact, that it became a symbol of the fledgling Rebellion itself. It is only fitting, then, that the Resistance flies an updated version of this classic fighter into battle as it continues to defend freedom across the galaxy.

Designed by Incom-FreiTek to improve upon the tactical flexibility of the T-65, the T-70 X-wing features an advanced droid socket that makes it compatible with a wide array of astromechs as well as modular weapons pods that allow ground crews to tailor its payload for specific missions. Soon, you’ll have to chance to customize your own T-70 X-wing when the Resistance joins X-Wing™ as its own faction with the T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack.

Within this expansion, Resistance players will find everything they need to add a flashy new T-70 to their X-Wing squadrons. A single finely detailed and fully painted miniature is accompanied by twelve ship cards, including nine unique pilots ready to take up the fight. Meanwhile, six upgrade cards give you plenty of options for outfitting your T-70 to your exact specifications and four Quick Build cards offer suggested combinations of pilots and upgrades to get your T-70 into the fight right away.

In addition to the T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack, both veteran and new players can combine a T-70 miniature from X-Wing’s first edition with the components included in the Resistance Conversion Kit to add a T-70 to their Resistance squadrons. All of the new ship cards and punch included in the T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack will also be present in the Resistance Conversion Kit. Read on for a glimpse at how you can grow your Resistance forces with this new classic!

Happy Beeps

The days of the Galactic Civil War may be fading from memory, but to some Resistance pilots, the expanding conflict with the First Order is just a continuation of a fight that began long ago. While the bulk of the Resistance Starfighter Corps consists of young volunteers from the New Republic, their ranks are bolstered by veterans of the Rebel Alliance determined to finish what they started all those years ago. 

Similarly, the pilots found in the T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack represent a mixture of fresh-faced pilots and those returning from the first edition. Leading the returning pilots is none other than the best pilot in the Resistance, Poe Dameron.  Featuring the rare combination of high initiative and a powerful ability, few aces can match him in terms of sheer skill.

After performing an action, Poe can spend his recurring charge to perform another action, treating it as red. This alone makes him a versatile pilot capable of easily swooping into position and unleashing powerful attacks, but—if you follow his Quick Build  card—Poe becomes even more of a threat with just a few upgrades. The T-70 is already capable of boosting, but with its Integrated S-foils   closed,  the ship becomes even more maneuverable.

This free Configuration upgrade adds the barrel roll action to the T-70’s action bar, as well as the ability to link a focus action into a barrel roll. Since he's able to use both the boost and barrel roll actions in the same activation, Poe should have little trouble perfectly lining up his shot in his bullseye arc and rolling all three of his attack dice, even with his S-foils closed.

While every T-70 can feature its own set of Integrated S-foils without increasing its squad point value, other upgrades are one-of-a-kind, with Poe's faithful astromech  BB-8  being one such example. This spunky droid gives his ship even more navigational options, providing two charges that can be spent to barrel roll or boost before executing a blue maneuver. These actions can be combined with Poe’s ability, of course, letting you dramatically alter his starting position even before you execute his chosen maneuver.

Poe Dameron is a bona fide ace even without BB-8, and he has earned the privilege of piloting his own unique T-70 X-wing, Black One. With the addition of a booster pod, Dameron was able to use this ship to singlehandedly disable the cannons of a First Order dreadnought during the evacuation of D’Qar, and the Black One Title gives you the chance to recreate this incredible feat.

With BB-8, Poe Dameron can perform a barrel roll before executing his three-straight maneuver. He can then use his Black One title to perfom a SLAM action and pull within Range 1 of the TIE Silencer. Finally, he can use his ability to acquire a lock on the Silencer!

This upgrade’s one-time use SLAM sends the T-70 careening across the board, allowing it to easily gain the upper hand on enemy ships. Better yet, a player can trade the normal disarm token gained by this action for an ion token. While every T-70 pilot can get behind the controls of Black One, the ship is particularly terrifying in the hands of Poe Dameron, who can combine its SLAM with a boost or barrel roll to set up the perfect shot.

New Aces

In addition to Poe Dameron, the Resistance Starfighter Corps features a number of other pilots who make use of the T-70’s unique design in their own way. These new pilots bring fresh ideas to the updated version of this classic starfighter, taking it in their own exciting directions. 

Kare Kun,  for example, is a skilled pilot in her own right and she can naturally find her way into spots that even Poe Dameron would find difficult. She adds the one-turn template to her list of options while boosting, which means she can quickly snap into position after executing a maneuver. This also makes her a good partner for BB-8, but when Poe's trusty astromech isn't available, a BB Astromech also gives her more options. While this droid doesn’t give you the option to boost like BB-8, it still lets you perform a barrel roll before executing a blue maneuver, giving Kun plenty of power to choose where her T-70 winds up.

Kare Kun has five options when performing a boost!

Where pilots like Poe Dameron and Kare Kun excel at staying out of danger, Joph Seastriker is at his best when he’s directly in the enemy’s crosshairs. His skills at evading enemy fire improve with every hit he takes, granting him an evade token each time he loses a shield! He’ll have to take a few hits, of course, but that just means that Seastriker is all the more likely to escape any subsequent attacks unscathed.

Even with an R2 Astromech from the Core Set or T-65 X-Wing Expansion Pack equipped, Joph Seastriker’s shields will eventually give out. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, however, especially if Lieutenant Bastian is his wingman. Bastian can acquire a lock on a ship at Range 1–2 after it's dealt a damage card. This ability could be used to help finish off ships Seastriker has targeted, but it could also have some more creative applications. Lieutenant Bastian could also choose to lock Seastriker and if Bastian has  M9-G8 equipped, Seastriker is free to reroll an attack die for as long as the lock lasts.

Each of these unique pilots helps to shape the strategies you’ll employ and any one of them will use up a good portion of your squad points. Sometimes it’s better to trade the advantages of unique pilot abilities for the strength in numbers gained generic pilots and the T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack gives you three options to choose from.

With Poe Dameron as their leader, Black Squadron is the best squadron in the Resistance. Poe is the most recognizable, but every pilot in this squadron is a crack T-70 pilot who can hold their own against the First Order’s best. Adding a Black Squadron Ace to your squadron, then, gets you a pilot with above average initiative and a lower point cost than a unique pilot of equivalent skill.

They might not be quite as skilled as the members of Black Squadron, but a Red Squadron Expert will still activate and fire in the middle of the pack. If you’re really looking to pack in as many ships into your squadron as possible, you can always turn to a Blue Squadron Rookie.  All these inexperienced pilots will inevitably look for someone who can help them learn the ropes, and Jaycris Tubbs can lend them the guiding hand they need to flourish in combat. Despite not being the most skilled pilot himself, he excels at mentoring new pilots and can help new pilots manage their stress in the heat of battle.

Heroes of the Resistance 

The Resistance is ready to push back against tyranny wherever it may appear and, with a full strike force of T-70 X-wings, they have the power to burn the First Order to the ground.

The T-70 X-Wing Expansion Pack (SWZ25) is releasing alongside the other Resistance expansions in the fourth quarter of 2018. Pre-order your copy at your local retailer or through our website today!