Bare Bones is working well. The game when seen from an overarching perspective fits in well between the simpler “Guess and Play” games like Wings of Glory and Canvas Eagles and the more complicated, but streamlined X Wing 2e.
House rules are pretty fixed now and include;
Excluded are all upgrades that are game or time-line breakers (and bandaid fixes for these breaks).
No TFA era ships.
No Crew or Droids from same (No BB8!).
No Huge ships.
No Elite Pilot Talents.
No Ship Modifications.
No generic or “thinly” named Title Upgrades**.
Included are upgrades types that are considered to be mandatory and non game breaking.
Only ships from the first three movies and the expanded universe that followed from these and Rogue One, being from the same time-line.
(Optional) Named “Legendary” Title upgrades**. Left out for basic games.
Crew, within the above guide lines (factional Point of difference).
Droids, within the above guide lines (factional point of difference).
Salvaged Droids (factional Point of difference).
Illicit (factional Point of difference).
System (technological point of difference).
Ordnance (some specific types are faction limited).
*
Base squads are 40-120 points (120 assumed maximum with 40/60/80 point options for mix and match.
Squads should have a theme.
Title Upgrades are strictly limited to the actual named pilots**.
No single character can be played more than once (logically), even in different upgrade classes/factions.
If these clash the Rebel player always has first choice.
Some Scum are faction specific (Black Sun, Tansarii Point, Protectorate, Binayre Pirates) or are independent cartel thugs, mercs and bounty hunters.
Rebel and Imperials may optionally make up less than half of a squad from a single Scum faction ally or one Independent merc/bounty hunter. All clashes go to the Empire.
Scum may be made up of one faction and an ally faction, but may have any number of mercs.
A nice themed squadron on a mission to destroy a crippled Imperial Raider. The story fidelity is tangible (although maybe their immediate futures are not so much).
*R2-D6 is omitted and Tomax Bren, “Youngster” and “Duchess’s” abilities are ignored as their pilot skill levels are well enough priced in a BB world.
**Title upgrades on the whole are one of the major culprits when it comes to FFG’s mechanically over-controlling of the later game. Mark 2’s, special re-fits etc were all simply re-balance mechanics thinly disguised thematically. The community as a whole hankered for them because they were needed in the competitive meta, but from a Bare Bones perspective they are the enemy!
Named Titles, limited to famous ships and always unique are, on the other hand kind of needed in the FFG design paradigm. Taking the weapon upgrade option from the “Outrider” or “Punishing One”, the extra slots from the “Virago”, “Sabine’s Tie”, “Mist Hunter”, “Shadow Caster”, “Havoc”, various Fire-sprays etc, takes away their uniqueness and they are clearly designed to be used with them, but only by the pilots that are actually connected to them. It is possible to leave them out, using their pilots and upgrades to make up the difference with only a few inconsistencies such as Nym’s “Havoc”, but we allow them optionally.