Xwing First Impressions

I have been holding back involving myself in another game, but not well enough it would seem.  I went to an X-Wing by Fantasy Flight demo today at Armchair Adventurer.  The game was actually very simple to learn and in no time we were in a furious dogfight.
Comments:
 - Movement - I really like the maneuver mechanism.   The predetermined maneuvers, which are differentiated by ship type, allows for accelerated game play.  Instead of waiting for the other player to move and decide what to do next, the moves are decided at the same time and then executed seamlessly   I was surprised by how easily it played like this.  The various movement templates were also sensible and well designed for faster play.

- Combat - Wow, I couldn't believe how simple the combat was.  I really liked the way in which you just add or drop dice instead of modifying the die role numbers.  Speaking of which, there are not numbers.  The new trend of special dice, like Saga, does not use numerical values makes life much easier for the gamer.  It may not be as detailed a system, but it definitely makes for fun gaming.

Pictures from our first game today.  I destroyed all four tie fighters without a loss.  The 2nd game was not as successful.  In fact I lost an X-Wing in the 2nd turn.  Anyways, I walked away with the starter kit and got home to order some more rebel fighters....so much for the not starting into another game.