Stay On Target | An X-wing Podcast

That's Jedi for farewell. Recording what is probably the last episode of Stay On Target, the boys discuss the announcement of X-Wing's cancellation and what the future might hold for the game.

...or not. Well, maybe. We don't know. Mikhail has won two Store Championships and still has no idea if he's punched his ticket yet or not and shares his thoughts. There's also the inevitable meta discussion and even more inevitable whining about the Steelers afterwards.

Ryan Staniszewski of Gold Squadron Podcast begged us for a new episode because he is addicted to X-Wing. Fine, here you go Ryan, but be careful what you wish for. (What Ryan doesn't know is that we nearly talk more about bourbon and the Pittsburgh Steelers than we do about little plastic spaceships)

A new X-Wing season is upon us! Ushered in with the Store Championships, brand new Starter Kits, and everyone's favorite: a new points update. It's an exciting time to be an X-Wing player and things are looking up. Or not...Gordon is worried.

Let's dispense with the silly memes and focus instead on what's important: X-Wing is finally getting updated Starter Kits! A new season is about to start next month and with it some brand new four-ship starter packs for the Rebel and Imperial factions. Combine this with Store Championships happening again at a game shop near you means everything is in place to restore X-Wing to its former glory!

Look at all the new ships! You'd think that would make for a great reason to record an episode, wouldn't it? Nope! We simply felt like it and had the time.

After 100 minutes of recording, Gordon's Zoom client locks up and the entire episode is lost. Or not. The latest lists doing well in the competitive scene are discussed as well as Gordon and Mikhail's continuing efforts to grow/revitalize X-Wing communities where they live.

This episode was originally going to be titled "Pillow Talk" -- you'll get the reference if you listen towards the end -- but when we realized it was our 66th podcast, we really had no choice what to name it. Highlights include our reactions to the new rules changes and points update, as well as two of the hosts sharing their experiences in trying to build new X-Wing communities.

Gordon summarizes his experiences at Adepticon and reveals a conclusion he's now formed. Franch has finally played some 2.5 games in real life...with real people! Mikhail is moving. Again. Stay On Target After Dark offers up some truly bad Dad jokes.

Talk about a great disturbance in the Force! X-Wing 2.5 is finally here and we have thoughts about the two biggest reveals: New list building rules, and five new scenarios that introduce another way to score points.

AMG drops a bombshell of a new rule where even SOT can't just sit idly by without recording an episode. Will this be the final form of Random Player Order? Or will a very vocal minority influence AMG via social media to make a change? Disclaimer: Franch and Mikhail sound great on their new mics while Gordon had the wrong settings and clips like crazy with too hot of a mic. Try to ignore him if you can...

Gordon just wanted to test a Zoom remote session to see what it was like -- because not getting together in person is new for us -- when Mikhail suddenly says "Just hit the record button...go!" The discussion is what you'd expect: A little points update reactions here, a little AMG major game change reactions there. Steelers talk at about the 1:27:00 mark if you're a masochist.

You might not know this, but it's been just over a year since we last recorded. Lies you say? It's true...all of it (insert Han Solo meme here). Gordon finally felt safe enough to come out of his Covid cave, Mikhail's grown a beard to look more like Gordon, Camden got tired of not podcasting so he started his own show, and Franch welcomed baby Magnolia to his family! Proud Papa indeed!! The gang recaps the past year's worth of X-Wing happenings and whines about the lack of a promised points update.

Fine, he probably doesn't, but we thought we saw him licking his iPad and iPads are made in China, so our logic is infallible. Topics mostly revolved around recent Store Championships and the current Hyperspace meta, and some discussion about new players getting involved in their first competitive games. And some brief Steelers talk. 00:11:15 - WAR STORIES | 01:07:20 - FLIGHT PREP | 01:31:00 - STOLEN PLANS | 01:35:10 - STEELERS TALK

Let's face it -- when the points change in X-Wing every six months, it's just the best. Not much got nerfed this time around, but a LOT of generic ships were lowered in cost. We're excited, and you should be too!

With the new year comes the hope and promise of X-Wing resolutions! Mikhail wants to attend a specific tournament that he's never played in before. Franch vows to be more faction diverse. And Gordon....well, Gordon is already a hot mess, getting stuck trying to live up to his X-Wing promise on the very first day he makes the attempt!

...P-O-D-C-A-S-T(ING). Even though Mikhail was unavailable, Gordon and Franch felt like recording anyway.

The gang spends their Halloween recording a show, which is what happens when you don't have children. Highlights include Mikhail sharing stories from his recent World's experience, Franch leading them through a "buy or sell" segment about various ships and upgrades, and Gordon pondering how he was labeled a virus while away in Scotland. In other words, two of the hosts contribute something useful about X-Wing.

Franch and Mikhail attempt to host the show on their own without their fearless leader, Gordon. But don’t worry, they are joined by Mark Moriarity from Hangar 19 to discuss the hyperspace trial that happened this past weekend in Louisville where Franch proved no practice is the best practice. The guys also talk about the hyperspace meta and then some general world championship info to get listeners prepped and ready for what they should expect. No timestamps this episode, so stick around (or don’t) towards the end for some football talk.

Gordon, Mikhail, and guest Ryan Fleming discuss the typical things you'd expect on a show that's about X-Wing, but we all know why Ryan is there, right? You'll know when it's time to stop listening if you don't care about the inevitable Pittsburgh Steelers sportsball talk. Sorry, no timestamps either. Failing to write down the timestamps is what happens when Franch isn't there, so blame him, not Gordon. In fact, that's sage advice for just about everything: blame Franch.