X-WING
Five years on, the Star Wars dogfighting hit continues to be one of – if not the – most popular games to emerge from the galaxy far, far away. Producer Steven Kimball looks back on the birth of a modern miniatures classic
Words by Owen Duffy
In the years since its cinema debut in 1977, the Star Wars saga has invaded tabletop gaming so many times that it’s difficult to keep track. From mass-market board games like Star Wars Monopoly to more complex titles like Imperial Assault, collectible card games to a succession of RPGs, fans of the series have never been short of ways to transport themselves to a galaxy far, far away.
While numerous games have given players their take on George Lucas’ universe, arguably none has had as enthusiastic a reception as the X-Wing Miniatures Game – a space combat title that throws players into deadly dogfights between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Tabletop Gaming spoke to the producer behind the game to learn about its creation, its continued success and how its design team aimed to capture the spirit of the Star Wars franchise.
TAKING OFF
Steven Kimball was the producer behind X-Wing’s development. A lifelong Star Wars fan, he vividly remembers his introduction to the science-fantasy setting - although he encountered the series in a chronologically confusing way.
“I watched A New Hope when I was four years old,” he recalls. “My grandparents had recorded Episode IV and Episode VI on a Betamax tape, so my early memories of Star Wars were pretty rosy; the Rebels always came out on top! It wasn’t until my parents recorded The Empire Strikes Back on VHS that I fully understood the Skywalker family tree.”
His first experience of the franchise may have been slightly muddled, but Kimball was instantly hooked on the epic tale of lasers and lightsabers, and he immersed himself in novels and video games based on the films. He remembers blasting his way through the Dark Forces first person shooter games, as well as piloting ships in the 1994’s virtual flight simulator TIE Fighter.
“I craved all things Star Wars,” he says.
Years later, while working for US publisher Fantasy Flight Games, Kimball would get the opportunity to step into the galaxy he had been obsessed with since childhood. The company had recently acquired the licence to produce tabletop games set in the Star Wars universe, and one of its top priorities was to develop a game that recreated the movies’ fast-paced deep-space dogfights.