Asmodee Star Wars: Rebellion Board Game - Epic Galactic Empire vs Rebel Alliance Conflict, Tabletop Miniatures Strategy Game for Adults, Ages 14+, 2-4 Players, 3 Hour Playtime

If you ever wanted to experience the original trilogy, this is your chance. For Star Wars fans it is the best experience as it is 100% thematic. It is supposed to be for 2 to 4 players, but with 3 or 4 players, I suspect disagreements and miscommunication could happen, so it is best for 2 players. Videogames have hardware requirements, this game has table size requirements. The board is huge, like 120cm x 60 cm and you need some extra room for other things, so you need a 180 cm x 75 cm table to play. Also it takes a long time to play, and I mean really long, especially when you are learning, as it has many steps, and you can do lots of things. The story you know could be different in your game. In my first full game it took us 2 days to finish it. I do not know if we were too slow or what, but this is what it took us. Probably there were other factors that slowed it down, like the fact I was playing with a non English speaking player, so I had to translate everything, and also I had to separate miniatures in sandwich plastic bags, so handling these bags to put miniatures in or out also took time. The core box has the rules to play the old trilogy, and starts with a Death Star. The expansion adds Rogue One, so it starts with a Death Star under construction. The core box resolves combat using dice only, so aside of assigning damage to enemies, there is not so much decision power from players. You could think of it as dice automation of combat. The expansion adds some decision power to players, but I feel the expansion makes rebels to be a bit overpowered. Some people believe the expansion improves combat rules. I see no problem with core box rules. The only real difference is the amount of control over the outcome of combat as in the core box it is too luck dependant. Steps change from the core box to the expansion. I feel that the expansion is more of a patch. So it is like having 2 separate similar games. You can build ships, start projects, move fleets, conduct missions, recruit new leaders which you will require to move fleets, conduct missions and oppose missions. This core box has a very solid system, but some players may find it complex at first. If you know the steps, you will see that the rest is about understanding how to do different things. You will not find a better Star Wars strategy game. After playing this you will find any other games very simple. I am really impressed about how things work in this game.

Star Wars Rebellion is without a doubt the crowning achievement from Fantasy Flight Games, and that is saying a lot. I've played many of their titles including Twilight Imperium, Forbidden Stars and X-wing Miniatures. Rebellion combines elements from these games into an all-new play style that feels streamlined but not overly simplistic and that allows for lots of unique game play strategies. Most importantly, it feels like Star Wars thanks to the excellent execution of thematic elements. One element of the game that makes it very intriguing is the asymmetrical objectives of each side. Just like in the films, the Imperial player will have unmatched military power that it is able to rapidly deploy in the early game. Their objective is deceptively simple: find and destroy the Rebel Base. I say "deceptively" as deception is the key tool the Rebel player must deploy in order to keep the Empire guess as to the whereabouts of this base. At any time, the Rebels can move their base and undo some of the search efforts of the Empire. Furthermore, many of the Rebel missions are designed to harass the Empire and distract them from their goal. To win as the Rebels, you complete objectives listed on objective cards drawn at the end of each turn. Each objective gives you influence points, which effectively reduce the number of turns the Empire has to find and destroy the base. The Rebels need only survive long enough for the turns to expire in order to win, as this means their influence will have grown large enough for the galaxy to rise up against the Empire in a full-scale Rebellion! Since I mentioned the missions, let me give an overview of game play, which occurs over three stages: Assignment, Command and Refresh. During Assignment, you will choose which of your leaders you will deploy on missions during the Command phase, which are chosen from a deck of cards with the mission details printed on them. Unassigned leaders remain available to move units an oppose missions of the other player (i.e. force them to roll, with a chance that mission might fail). During the Command phase, players take turns either revealing missions or moving units. In this phase, players can gain influence over planets to increase their resources for ship deployment, capture and rescue leaders, launch surprise attacks on their opponent or engage in direct combat by moving units it a system occupied by the units of another player. In the Refresh phase, you do a number of actions to prepare for the next round including retrieving units, building/deploying units and recruiting new leaders. Rebel players will draw objective cards, while the Imperials will draw two probe droid cards, revealing two locations where the Rebel Base is NOT hidden. I can't imagine a more thematically on-point Star Wars board game experience. The missions of each side feel true to the things we see the Rebels and Imperials do in the original trilogy films. Some of them mirror major plot events of the series, including the sudden appearance of Imperial Troops on a remote system where they believe the Rebel Base is hidden (like Hoth), the training of Rebel leaders in the ways of the force by Yoda, freezing important Rebel heroes in Carbonite or seducing them to the Dark Side, and the noble sacrifice of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Each game has a chance of unfolding just like them movies, or it may yield an entirely new combination of plot events. There is a lot of Nerd-tastic satisfaction to be had in each play through, which will be dramatically different as you switch between Rebels and Imperials across consecutive games. As a fan of Fantasy Flight Games, I wanted to throw in a few notes of comparison here. First, I think this game fills an important niche in the Fantasy Flight library. It provides some excellent 4X game play that is tailored specifically a 2-player experience (although you can team up in 2v2 games), which sets it apart from Twilight Imperium (minimum 3, recommended 4+ players) and Forbidden Stars (possible with 2, but much better with 3 or 4). I also appreciate that it balances the combat styles of those two games, which feels a little too light in Twilight Imperium and perhaps too cumbersome in Forbidden Stars. At the same time, Rebellion is sufficiently unique from them both that it doesn't feel like a clone of either experience. Each game provides its own spin on the 4X genre. That said, I may be playing a lot more Rebellion in the future simply because it is much easier to find just one other person with 2-4 hours on their hands rather than 3-5 other people with 6+ hours. Altogether, I can't recommend this game enough to Star Wars fans and tabletop enthusiasts. It's unlike anything else out there and fills many unmet needs among tabletop game collections. Find your childhood friend with whom you used to make-believe Star Wars with and play this with them. I can guarantee you will have a blast!

Star Wars: Rebellion, from Fantasy Flight Games, is a two-to-four-player tabletop game that pits the evil Galactic Empire against the heroes of the Rebel Alliance. The game is based on the original Star Wars trilogy and contains two game boards that fit together, a mountain of cards, and many, many, minis. The game is asymmetrical. The Empire wins if it can successfully locate and destroy the hidden Rebel base. The Rebels win if they can score enough objective points to gain popular support throughout the galaxy, (if the round marker and the objective marker, which start out on opposite sides of the track, come together). At the beginning of the game each player has several systems that are loyal to them, and the Rebel player will choose a system to be the location of the secret Rebel base. Both sides start with four leaders, iconic characters from the Star Wars movies. Beginning with the Rebel player, both sides begin to assign their leaders to missions- cards that allow the characters to do fun and interesting things. For instance, the Imperial player may attempt to capture a Rebel leader, attempt to narrow down which worlds the Rebel base is on, or build projects like the Death Star or a Super Star Destroyer from a special mission deck, and more. The Rebels missions include attempts to bring neutral systems over to the Rebel cause with diplomacy, sabotage of Imperial production, foment uprisings, and more. Players will not want to assign all of their leaders to missions, however. Leaders can also be used to oppose the other player's missions (both the leader assigned to the mission and the leader opposing it have to have skill icons that match the mission profile). Also, leaders with tactic ratings can command fleets, moving ships and units from one system to an adjacent system. When ships from one faction occupy the same space as their opponents', combat ensues. Both mission oppositions and combat are resolved with special dice rolls on custom dice. Tactic cards, based on leaders' tactic numbers, are also used in combat. After the command phase, in which missions and combat occur, players take care of housekeeping where they may also recruit new leaders from their action decks, and they may also place new units on a production track (the systems they control that allow them to build units specify what units and where they are placed on the track). Units then move down on the track and are deployed to the game board. This phase also sees the Imperial player draw two cards from the probe deck, telling him/her two systems where the Rebel base is not every round. The Rebel player will draw an objective card which gives him/her more ways to score victory points. Star Wars: Rebellion is a grand strategic game set in the Star Wars universe. I've wanted to see a Star Wars board game on the “Axis & Allies” model for years, and Fantasy Flight Games has finally given it to us. While I don't like this game as much as Fantasy Flight's Twilight Imperium, 3rd Edition, which is my favorite game of all time, it comes close. They are, of course, very different games other than the Sci-Fi theme. Tom Vasel at the Dice Tower had said that he hoped that Twilight Imperium 4th Edition would be based on Star Wars- I think this game is as close as we'll get to that idea. I really like the asymmetrical play in Star Wars: Rebellion. Both players are playing a very different game. For the Imperial player, the game is one of cat and mouse, almost like a hidden movement game on par with Fury of Dracula or Letters From Whitechapel. For the Rebel player, its a game of hitting a much larger and stronger opponent with a series of pinpricks, knowing that over time they will add up. It's a game of bluff and double bluff, as the Imperial player tries to guess at where the Rebels are, and the Rebel player has no idea what systems have already been ruled out with his/her opponent's access to the probe deck. There is also an interesting worker placement element here, as you must match your leaders with specific icons to go on missions, but must also hold some in reserve, not knowing what missions they will be able to oppose with their icons. It also means that timing is crucial. Sending a Rebel leader out on a raid while Darth Vader is still in reserve is a bad idea- sending an Imperial leader out on a diplomatic mission while Mon Mothma has not yet been played can really cost you as well. The game, however, is not simply about its mechanics- solid as they are. Rather, this game is dripping with theme- and that's why you love it. The Death Star might be destroyed at Kessel. Princess Leia might be frozen in carbonite. Lando Calrissian might train with Yoda to become a Jedi. Boba Fett might capture Chewbacca at Mon Calimari. The combinations of your own thematic Star Wars adventure are endless. Star Wars: Rebellion is a solid game from a mechanics stand point. But it is a tremendously fun game because of its theme. The four player mode, in which players split the duties of admirals and generals is fun as well, but at its heart this is a two player game. If you like Star Wars tabletop games, you will LOVE Star Wars Rebellion. Review copy provided.

Played this at friend's and had to add it to my collection. I personally don't care much for war/strategy games where you move units, take territories, and destroy the opposition. (Axis & Allies, etc). Rebellions has those elements but makes it interesting for me with asymmetrical gameplay, variety of themed missions, and the Star Wars narrative that plays out making every game memorable. In Rebellion yes you have combat but that is only a small fraction of the game. It is a hide-and-seek game between the Empire/Rebels where both sides play completely differently even though it's the same rules for both. If you are the Empire you are trying to find the needle in the haystack (the Rebel Base), spreading out your forces as wide as possible and completing missions that help you dwindle down the various locations in order to find the destroy the Rebels. If you play the Rebels you are essentially trying to complete missions that help you speed up the timer while attempting the throw the Empire off your trail (sabotage missions, guerilla uprisings, etc). What I enjoy the most about Rebellion is how incredibly perfect the Star Wars theme fits the mechanics. This really comes across on the mission cards. Your main resource are the various Star Wars characters who you use to send on missions, stop the opposition from completing their missions, move units, etc so you have limited amount of things you can do on your turn and makes for really great strategy, decisions making, resource management, and more importantly great narrative! Almost every game I played has had memorable events that practically mirror the originally trilogy though on occasion something can go sideways like Darth Vader capturing General Ackbar and then have the Emperor turn him to the Dark Side only to have him help speed up the construction of a Super Star Destroyer! Noooooooo! The last thing I wanted to mention is that the rules of the game are very simple to learn for this style of game. The game can take very long to play out (2-4 hours) which is usually a huge turn off for me but the rules are simple/elegant that the game flows really well and pacing is so good that you can easily lose track of time. Normally learning the rules for these type of games can take as long as the game itself. The only gripe I have is with the combat though it's not bad at all and I do find it fun it just feels a bit clunky mainly because there are not enough dice imo. Each side has to roll and then write down what they rolled (so they won't forget) so the other person can roll and then make comparisons. I would gladly buy another set of dice if it were possible. If you love Star Wars and strategy games definitely pick this up ASAP because the price of this will skyrocket if it ever goes out of print. Personally I think this is the best Star Wars themed board game hands down.

Game is great if you love Star Wars and area majority/dudes on a map board games. Unfortunately, and like all 4 previous board games I've ordered through Amazon - the box came dented and damaged, game itself wasn't even in a shrink wrap, it was thrown as is- inside a bigger cardbox with no bubble wrap or any padding whatsoever, all corners were worn plus dented on one side. Incredibly frustrating for a game at this price point and for a someone who cares about the box.

Fantasy Flight has really been hitting home runs with their line of Star Wars games. I own X Wing miniatures which I love. I didn't end up pulling the trigger on Imperial Assault or Armada. As much as I love these games at times the bigger more epic games are harder to get to the table with my gaming group, since most of my friends enjoy lighter more casual games, so this is what I usually buy. This all went out the window when I saw Star Wars Rebellion! It just looked so huge and so epic and I needed to have it! I was really hoping that it lived up to the hype and my expectations. And............well............ IT DID! The pieces and game board are beautiful, totally living up to FFG standards. I'm not one who paints miniatures, and quite honestly I don't think these miniatures need despite not being pre-painted. The board itself is broken up into two boards that go together. Each of these are roughly the size of a normal board game board, so it's huge! And the detail on the board and the different planets, then detail,on the cards, the dice are quality. I really can't say enough about the components of this game. The game play itself is also amazing. Looking at the rule book it seems daunting like the game is going to be super complicated, but it's not! There are a lot of nuances which take a few plays and checking to rules reference book to make sure your getting everything right. But all in all for the scope of this game, very easy to learn and teach. The only thing I was worried about was the balance of the game. My friend and I played 3 times in the first week I got the game swapping dark side and light side each game play. The first 3 games the imperials won every time. This may have just been a fluke or us just getting use to the game, because the last game play I won as the rebels quite decisively. We have yet to try the team version of the game so I cannot speak as to whether it is fun or not, but I'm sure it's fine, this game really is designed for 2 though. In conclusion if your a Star Wars fan and like games in any way, get this game. If your not a Star Wars fan but love epic sci-fi games, get this game. If your looking for a great 2 player game, get this game. The only ones who shouldn't get this game are people who don't like longer games and don't care for Star Wars. But if this seems even remotely appealing to you, try it out.......wait scratch that...... buy or buy not, there is no try.

My goodness this is a whopper. The GF and I spent many nights playing through one game (usually just one round each night). This is one you'll need to invest some time in. Though we were both loving it I have to admit, towards the end we were kind of anxious to be done with it. Namely because we'd received a new game that I loved (Dominare) and needed the table space! The gameplay actually isn't that complicated. Most of it derives from assigning your generals to missions or to maneuvering things on the board or to challenging the other players attempts at a mission. That's really about it. It looks a lot more daunting then that but it's not too bad. This is a game though where you MUST understand the rules. I found the two (!) instruction books succinct and we didn't come across a problem that either couldn't resolve. HOWEVER, there are key concepts that can completely derail a game if you gloss over them. For example, ALL generals in a system add to the success of the mission you are attempting. Not just the general you assigned to the mission. The hardest thing for us to understand was the influence. I wish they had just done away with "subjugation" and made it so either the Rebels or Imperials maintained total control of any system at one time. Instead, subjugation sort of works as "halfway influencing" with special rules that apply. But that's all in the details! Is it a good game? Yes. But be warned this is not for the faint of heart. It's long, it's huge and while it was fairly easy to stomach the rules, as I said, a mishap only realized in the middle of the game may have swayed who would win to the point that you might want to give up. Don't though. Play through a game start to finish, with mistakes and all. Then let the next one be the "real" game 😜

Great game to play with any Star Wars fan! The quality of the miniatures is fantastic and the art on the cards is nothing short of amazing. The game is basically playing the original three movies. The dreaded Death Star is my favorite miniature. The rules are at first a bit overwhelming, but after you start playing they are very smooth and become second nature. I've played other Star Wars games and this one is my favorite! Highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of board games and Star Wars!