The intro…
Hello there and welcome to this week’s blog!
There’s very clearly something pretty major to talk about this week so let’s forget the intro and get right into it!
Patreon update…
Ok, let’s *almost* get right into it!
Yep, it’s time to talk Patreon again!
Last week I showed off the alt art cards and template. This week is a liiiiilte more tricky as I’m still waiting for some things to arrive so rather than show you what you’d definitely get, let me talk about what you might get!
Yes, the giveaway this quarter is for a couple of things. There’s a faction damage deck (with a few for the winner to pick from), a pack of card sleeves to put them in AND a Millennium Falcon bottle opener!
If you’d like to be in with a chance to win OR if you’d like any of the Patreon gifts OR if you’d just like to support the blog then you can sign up here by the 31st of the month to be included! Memberships start from £1 per month and you can start or stop whenever you want!
Ok, that’s enough of that, NOW let’s get right into it!
The main bit…
So yes, this blog is all about the Welsh Open 2025!
For me personally this has been quite a big deal. This is out third time running the Welsh Open so you’d be forgiven for thinking this makes things easier. This year we’ve had some different challenges to contend with.
Firstly, in the build up to last year the game was still being supported by AMG. Not only that but we had successfully applied for it to be an official event and we were getting a box of (free!) goodies to dish out to people. This year, with the XWA having taken up stewardship of the game, has been a bit more challenging. With the sunset of AMG support some players have seen their local scene dwindle and while the XWA has definitely breathed new life into the game with points and content, some people have stopped playing.
Selling tickets to an event has always been the biggest challenge. This past year has ramped that up a little more. Not only that but just weeks after announcing our date, a big gig was announced in Cardiff and accommodation prices started to rocket in response. Not ideal.
On top of this, I’ve been under quite a lot of (self imposed) pressure. As OP Prize Lead for the XWA it’s been my responsibility to organise the design, production and distribution of prize kits and BOY has it been a challenge.
The Wave 0 kit was a decent start for us but that was mostly done before I got involved. The Squad Champ kits have proved a challenge but I’m really proud of the kit we’ve produced. By FAR the biggest issue we’ve had with it is that demand has far outstripped our supply and with how we’re set up, waiting for components to ship to Martin Loo in Hong Kong who then has to repackage and ship these on (on his own!) has meant unexpected delays. Add to this the fact that HK Post no longer ship to the USA (nice one Trump!), it’s been tricky getting kits to people in time for events.
With my focus on getting through that as best we can, we were slightly delayed in starting on the System Open kits and the result? We didn’t quite get everything in time to give out at the event.
Sad times.
That said, I am REALLY pleased with what we did get and the missing parts aren’t too far behind so if you were there and I owe you things – I will be in touch!
By the time we got to the day of the event I was actually rpetty relaxed about everything which was nice!
In an interesting twist, my fellow TO’s son Josh (who has featured on the blog several times over the years) had decided he wasn’t going to play. Does this mean that I could play?
Several last minute ticket sales (including one AFTER tickets had been taken off sale and around 14 hours before the start of the event!!) meant that we eventually hit 40 tickets which, while a little down from previous 2 years, is pretty decent.
We did, unfortunately have a drop on the day so, in order to keep the numbers even and make sure nobody ended up without a game I joined in!
My play over the past 2 months or so has consisted almost solely of the new Scum SL pilots and since I wasn’t here to take this tournament too seriously (literally to make up the numbers!) I stuck with what I’d been flying:
Han Solo (AaD) – Customized YT-1300 Light Freighter (6)
Chewbacca (AaD) (0)
L3-37 (AaD) (0)
Tobias Beckett (AaD) (0)
Lando’s Millennium Falcon (AaD) (0)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 6
Fenn Rau (AaD) – Fang Fighter (6)
Fearless (0)
Adaptable Power Systems (AaD) (0)
Beskar Reinforced Plating (0)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 2
Cad Bane (AaD) – Rogue-class Starfighter (4)
Flechette Cannons (AaD) (0)
Todo 360 (AaD) (0)
Xanadu Blood (AaD) (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
The Mandalorian (AaD) – Naboo Royal N-1 Starfighter (4)
Outmaneuver (0)
The Child (AaD) (0)
Kineso-Switch (AaD) (0)
Calibrated Laser Targeting (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
Total: 20
So, I guess I’m in then! How will it go?
Game 1 – Salvage Mission – Paul Cadwell
One of several players having travelled up from the South West, Paul was someone I’ve never met or played before and was runnning an interesting looking Scum list:
Kavil – BTL-A4 Y-wing (4)
Dorsal Turret (3)
Proton Rockets (6)
Watchful Astromech (2)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (11/11) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Zuckuss – G-1A Starfighter (4)
Deadeye Shot (1)
The Mandalorian (2)
Contraband Cybernetics (3)
Mist Hunter (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (6/6) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Fenn Rau – Fang Fighter (5)
Predator (3)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (3/3) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
N’dru Suhlak – Z-95-AF4 Headhunter (3)
Lone Wolf (3)
Barrage Rockets (8)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (11/11) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Tápusk – HWK-290 Light Freighter (4)
Protectorate Gleb (6)
Moldy Crow (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (6/6) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
Total: 20
As interesting as I’m sure it was, I certainly didn’t get to see it in full swing as I proceeded to screw things up right from the off.
From setting up the rocks for a list with Dengar in it to bumping Cad into the back of Fenn, you name a mistake and in this match, I made it.
Picking up a box with Fenn is ALWAYS a poor idea (not that any of my ships want to carry a box really…) but doing so and then parking him at range 2 of 3 ships and in Kavil’s turret arc was just asking for trouble.
My the end of turn 3 both Cad and Fenn were dead and Kavil had lived on 1 hull and proceeded to for the rest of the game.
He wasn’t the only one as I failed to kill any of Paul’s ships while trying to knock off crates with 2 dice guns.
Final result: 7 – 20 loss
Mini conclusion…
Paul played well and was a great opponent, I just helped him on his way FAR too much with my blundering decisions.
Still, no pressure and I had fun! On to the next!
Game 2 – Chance Engagement – Ben Saunders
Chances are, if we’re both in a tournament, we’re playing each other! Ben normally comes out victorious as well which didn’t bode well for my chances! Ben had brought a Republic list which had some familiar faces and ones I’m less sure about.
Shaak Ti – Eta-2 Actis (5)
Brilliant Evasion (2)
Patience (2)
Autoblasters (7)
R7-A7 (5)
Targeting Computer (1)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (17/17) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 1
Anakin Skywalker – BTL-B Y-wing (5)
Dorsal Turret (3)
Plasma Torpedoes (7)
Veteran Turret Gunner (4)
R4 Astromech (2)
Ion Bombs (4)
Ship Cost: 5 Loadout: (20/20) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
“Axe” (SoC) – V-19 Torrent Starfighter (3)
Deadeye Shot (0)
Barrage Rockets (0)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 3
“Odd Ball” – Nimbus-class V-wing (4)
Proton Torpedoes (14)
Alpha-3B “Besh” (1)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (15/15) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
“Broadside” – BTL-B Y-wing (3)
Ion Cannon Turret (6)
R4 Astromech (2)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (8/8) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 4
Total: 20
Once again deployment and first turn dictated that it was a low point value Y-Wing that was my target of opportunity. This time though I put everything into Axe in the Torrent and while Cad had decided he simply didn’t want to play today and got blown up all to easily again, Ben’s Torrent decided that not only would he survive the entire game on 1 hull but that he would block Han to oblivion.
Mando put some damage in to Odd Ball early on but it took altogether too much effort for to be able to do, well, anything at all it felt like.
Eventually Mando burned down but so did Broadside and I’d halved someone else.
Sadly the everlasting Torrent drew my ships out of the middle in my efforts to kill it and so right on the last turn Ben got 2 points to my zero. Had the Torrent died, I’d have made those up and we’d have tied. Gah!
Final result: 12 – 14 loss
Mini Conclusion…
Ok, this was much closer than the last one at least!
Had the Torrent died right at the end then it’s a draw. Had it died MUCH sooner than that? Who knows. Either way, it was a good, fun game. For all the stick we give each other (and there’s plenty!), it’s always a good, fun game against Ben.
Ok, so I’m 0-2 and no chance of cut (which I’d have dropped from anyway). Time for a quick spot of lunch and we were back for round 3!
Game 3 – Assault – Miklos Palko
Well, the first thing to mention here is that Miklos had come all the way for Hungary to play the event! That is NUTS! Having played some 1.0 back in the day Miklos is starting to get back into the game and had come with one of his UK based Hungarian friends (Laszlo Leto). He was here to soak in the event and also to find his feet in modern X-Wing with this being his very first tournament back in the game.
He was flying Empire with some bits I didn’t like the look of…
Darth Vader – TIE Advanced x1 (6)
Brilliant Evasion (2)
Fire-Control System (2)
Afterburners (8)
Ship Cost: 6 Loadout: (12/12) Half Points: 3 Damage Threshold: 2
Flight Leader Ubbel – TIE/rb Heavy (4)
Expert Handling (2)
Synced Laser Cannons (6)
Target-Assist MGK-300 (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (8/8) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Captain Feroph – TIE Reaper (4)
Marksmanship (2)
Tactical Officer (3)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (5/5) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Cutlass Squadron Pilot – TIE/ca Punisher (4)
Fire-Control System (2)
Plasma Torpedoes (7)
Ion Bombs (4)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (13/13) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 4
Academy Pilot – TIE/ln Fighter (2)
Precision Ion Engines (1)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (1/4) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Total: 20
It seemed that Miklos had taken my mantle from game 1 of slightly dodgy decision making and after turn 2, his ships seemed to be straying a little too close to rocks.
First Ubbel and then Vader got stuck on asteroids as part of the board turned into a great big traffic jam.
Han took a bit of a beating before SLAMming out of harm’s way and Fenn jumped in to take his place and start throwing haymakers. Miklos’ medium base ships kept him in the game with objective scoring and even though the Punisher finished Han off with a long range obstructed shot it wasn’t quite enough to pull things back for him.
Result: 18 – 12 win
Mini conclusion…
This was a tough game, just not in the normal sense. It was difficult to watch a very lovely opponent have his ships land on rocks with very tight margins, made tougher by the fact that he’s a freshly returning player.
All credit to Miklos, he remained upbeat and a great opponent.
Game 4?
At the end of round 3 someone dropped fromt he event and so, in order to keep the numbers even and not leave someone without a game, I did too. My tournament was over from a playing perspective but, when running a tournament, there is always something to do!
The conclusion…
So, you might be wondering how the rest of the event went!
Massive congratulations to the one and only Liam Baker! Champion of the very first XWA System Open!
He was running a rather filthy CIS list:
Chertek – Nantex-Class Starfighter (4)
Gravitic Deflection (3)
Ensnare (10)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (13/16) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 2
DIS-T81 (SoC) – Droid Tri-fighter (4)
Outmaneuver (0)
Afterburners (0)
Contingency Protocol (SoC) (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (0) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 1
Cad Bane – Rogue-class Starfighter (4)
Heavy Laser Cannon (5)
Ion Cannon (6)
Xanadu Blood (0)
Ship Cost: 4 Loadout: (11/11) Half Points: 2 Damage Threshold: 3
Bombardment Drone – Hyena-class Droid Bomber (3)
Proximity Mines (9)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (9/9) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
Bombardment Drone – Hyena-class Droid Bomber (3)
Proximity Mines (9)
Ship Cost: 3 Loadout: (9/9) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 2
DFS-311 – Vulture-class Droid Fighter (2)
Independent Calculations (2)
Grappling Struts (0)
Ship Cost: 2 Loadout: (2/2) Half Points: 1 Damage Threshold: 1
Total: 20
If you’re interested then you can check out final standings and lists at the Longshanks page: https://www.longshanks.org/event/26648/
I’d also like to mention the day 2 cross-faction event. There were some very weird and wacky lists in there but I’ll give a particular shout out to David Bryan who was running THREE Gauntlets with Super Commandos on all of them!
Congratulations to Tim Hammond who went undefeated to win the event (and the rather large dice tower!) and honourable mention to Craig Bradford who also went undefeated but got pipped by strength of schedule!
Lists and standings are here if you’re interested: https://www.longshanks.org/event/27321/
So, The Welsh Open is over for another year! People came from all over the UK (including Northern Ireland!), Germany, France and Hungary!
We are so grateful for everyone for coming along and supporting the event. We hope that you had a great time and that you’ll come again next time.
That’s it from me for today. Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next week!
The outro…
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