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Star Wars: Rebellion Review

 

Star Wars: Rebellion Review

As a huge Star Wars queen, I was so excited to explore Star Wars: Rebellion. What could be more exciting than living outside of the greatest film trilogy ever made on the table?

No Jar-Jar containers. No trade negotiations. A pure, sweet original trilogy.

So, sit back. Grab half a liter of blue milk. And let’s see if he manages to stay on target!

Star Wars: Rebellion
Star Wars: Rebellion
  • EXPERIENCE THE GALACTIC CIVIL WAR AS NEVER BEFORE: In Star Wars ...
  • STRATEGY: Players secretly, carefully planning their turns ...
  • THE GAME OF EPIC CONFLICTS: As a Rebel player, the leading daring strikes ...

A brief overview of Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars Rebellion board game

Star Wars: Rebellion is a big box war game that opposes the Galactic Empire against rebels. Designed for two players , up to four can be played by division into teams.

The conditions for each side to win are different. Rebels across the galaxy must gather enough support to be able to lead to a complete rebellion without the empire abolishing it. The Galactic Empire must control possible uprisings while searching for a rebel base and then destroying it.

The gameplay takes place on two levels. First, you can send your key leaders on missions to achieve strategic goals. At the same time, you must command individual armies as you fight to control the Galaxy .

The result is a tense game of search and destruction. In the meantime, you will present all your favorite Star Wars characters and play most of the key events from the first three films.

Variations and extensions

Star Wars resistance extensions

Star Wars: Rebellion - The Rise of an Empire

The only extension for Star Wars: Rebellion, Rise of the Empire features a series of characters and maps that take into account the new additions to space from the Rogue One pre-selection movie. 

These include Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, U-Wings, TIE Strikers, Nebulon-B frigates and Interdictor. All in all, it adds eight new leaders, thirty-six plastic Miniatures and more than a hundred new cards.

Star Wars: Rebellion - The Rise of an Empire
Star Wars: Rebellion - The Rise of an Empire
  • This is an extension of the Star Wars uprising: it's not ...
  • EXPERIENCE THE GALACTIC CIVIL WAR AS NEVER BEFORE: In Star Wars ...
  • A NEW MORNING EXPERIENCE INSPIRED BY ROGUE ONE: Send Jyn Erso ...

Unpacking Star Wars: Rebellion

Unpacking Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars: Rebellion is in an extremely large box that fits all miniatures. The components you will receive are:

  • 153 plastic miniatures (89 Imperial, 64 Rebel)
  • 2 game boards
  • 2 lists for factions
  • 25 leaders with plastic stands 
  • 68 Mission Charts
  • 15 Target cards
  • 30 Tactical Cards
  • 34 Action Cards
  • 76 markers (destroyed system, subjugation, imperial loyalty, loyalty of rebels, damage, time, reputation)
  • 10 Custom Cubes
  • 1 Reference to rules
  • 1 Learn to play a booklet

Miniatures are an outstanding component here, of which there are many - from TIE Fighters to AT-AT, Snowspeeders and X-Wings, Star Wars fans will not be disappointed. All the three death stars (are they moons?) Are especially scary! Three! I mean, it's just not fair ...

The quality of the miniatures is stunning, each with many little details to bring it to life. Particularly impressive are the individuals themselves, such as stormtroopers, who have received tremendous attention to them. Some will need a little composition, but it’s nothing too difficult.

Then there is the game board, which is covered with various systems that can be controlled by your units. It is so big that they had to split it in two halves. So, it goes without saying that you will need a lot of space to play. On top of that, there are also plenty of maps and markers to manage.

On an individual level, the miniatures and components are amazing. However, Star Wars: Rebellion really shines when you have the game fully ready. It is absolutely huge and there are quite a few to accept.

How to play Star Wars: Rebellion

How to play Star Wars: Rebellion

Setup

To begin, players choose a site between the Galactic Empire and the rebels and take the appropriate parts of the components.

Then set the goal, action, and tactics of the deck on the board before giving each player your mission cards. Players should now place their units as described in the policy (this only applies to your first game).

The rebel player then secretly selects a card from the probe and determines where he wants their rebel base to hide. Place the card under the side of the plate, mix the remaining probes and place them back on the plate.

First phase: allocation

In the first phase, the players assign their leaders (Eg Princess Leia or Darth Vadar) to the missions they have in their hands. To do this, they place it face down and place a figure (or figures) on it, provided they have the necessary knowledge.

You don’t have to assign all of your mission leaders - the ones that stay in your Leader can be used in the next phase.

Second phase: decree

Now players take turns solving one of the following actions:

  1. Move the unassigned leader to the system and then move the adjacent units to them. If you move to a system with opposing player units, resolve the fight.
  2. Solve one of the mission cards.

In some cases, the opposing player may object to the mission solution. This means that they can move Leader into the system in which he resolves, and they have to roll the dice to see if he is successful. Some leaders will have skills that will give them extra dice for certain tasks. Princess Leia, for example, has knowledge of intelligence, so she is awarded extra dice for each mission with this symbol. If they are successful, they will carry out a special campaign.

Third phase: refreshment

This is the cleanup before the next round. All leaders return to the group of leaders and are recruited. Players replenish their mission cards. The Imperial player draws two cards showing two systems where the rebel base is not located. The rebel player draws another objective card (explained below). And the timestamp has progressed. 

At this point, players will also be able to recruit and / or deploy new units to their controlled systems.

Target maps

The rebel player has objective cards that he must try to fill through the game. If they meet its requirements, it is discarded and its effects resolved. This is the primary way rebels can gain a reputation and advance a reputation label.

Search for a rebel base

If at any time the Imperial Troops move into a system where the rebel base is hidden, the rebel leader must report this. Empire can then try to win him over to win the game.

He wins the game

Rebels win the game if they manage to advance the reputation label to the same level as the timestamp. This means that they received enough support for a comprehensive uprising.

The Galactic Empire wins the game if it finds a rebel base and conquers it (i.e. kills all rebel-based units).

Solving colors

Fighting is not that easy. Held both on the ground and in space, the dice decide the success of each individual attack. The number of dice is affected by the attack values ​​of the units involved, and you can also use tactical cards to improve the attack. The power of your tactical cards is determined by the leaders (if any) you sent into battle.

If things don’t go well, you can withdraw the units. Otherwise, the fight ends when no unit remains on one side.

Your first game Star Wars: Rebellion

Your first game Star Wars: Rebellion

Star Wars: Rebellion is a complex game. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you use the game learning instructions that guide you through the first game. This provides the prescribed settings and instructions that should allow you to cope with the game faster.

In addition to the simplified version I mentioned above, you should be aware of some other mechanisms and functions in Star Wars: Rebellion (of which there are many), including:

Loyalty

Every system in the galaxy has a loyalty marker that will display either rebellious, neutral, or imperial. You can gain loyalty to the system by completing diplomacy missions. Once you gain loyalty to the system, you can then build units with its resources.

The galactic empire can also subjugate a system that overrules its loyalty to the rebels. It does this by placing a grounding unit there.

Rebel base

Even though Rebel Base is hidden, rebels can still move units there using the Rebel Base space on the game board. This allows the rebel player to gather forces to defend the rebel base without betraying its location.

During the game, the rebel player can pull out a "Rapid Mobilization" mission. This allows them to move the rebel base if they wish.

Advantages disadvantages

Advantages:

  • it's very Star Wars
  • An interesting turnaround area control war game
  • Made for two players (although there can be more)
  • Fantastic miniatures

Weaknesses:

  • Many rules need to be learned
  • Maybe too complicated in some areas
  • Confused policy

While the games take place for Star Wars fans, the concept of Star Wars: Rebellion couldn’t be much sweeter. After all, it’s not just Star Wars. This is the original Star Wars trilogy! 

You’re basically running your own version of the first three films (in order), and in addition to the fantastic miniatures, there’s also a lot of meaty Star Wars content here to keep fans happy. Many characters are presented as leaders, while missions and events allow you to live and formulate strategies for many of the main points in the films.

But is this in itself a worthy war game? Answer: yes, it is absolutely.

A turning point in a typical war game

It’s a fantastic twist on a typical war game. Instead of the usual approach of running and conquering an area, it’s a game of cat and mouse on galactic levels that can get incredibly tense.

I really liked how he imitated films with an emphasis on the individual missions of the main characters and the extensive galactic battles between opposing armies. He added an extra level of strategic thinking to the game.

I was also impressed by the balance of both factions. On the one hand, the imperial behemoth, which is the empire, and all the mechanical and military power it brings with it. On the other hand, there was a courageous rebellion that gnawed at the guerrilla army of imperial forces. The differences in resources are huge, of course, but they are very even due to different conditions for victory and special abilities. 

A huge game of cat and mouse

Another big plus is that it is designed as a two-player game. It is rare that such a comprehensive game is best played as a two-player game and is a fantastic option for those who enjoy a strong strategy game but might be looking to put together a group.

But remember, this is not an easy game. Don’t let the relatively short description of the game above fool you. There are many little mechanics and rules you can learn for each individual leader and mission, which allows you to spend a lot of time with your head buried in the rules. Combat in particular has so many buttons and levers that I wondered if it really needed to be done so complicated.

This might not be such a problem if the policy was written more intuitively. Instead, it’s a little hard to find the information you need. And even when you do, you’re never completely one hundred percent sure you understood it correctly.

TL; DR

Star Wars: Rebellion is a war game with an area of ​​control in which the Galactic Empire must hunt down and destroy a rebel base before the rebels create enough support for the rebellion.

It is an interesting turn in the genre, which always manages to create a real sense of energy. Both sides, while striving to achieve different goals, will need to be extremely strategic in their achievement.

There are a lot of rules that players can think of - and confusing rules don't make things easy - but they allow for an incredibly rich, themed Star Wars experience.

Conclusion: a verdict?

Star Wars: Rebellion is an extensive and complex search and destruction game that will delight all fans of strategy and war games, whether they are a Star Wars nut or not (definitely not a trap).

I found it to be a tense and chaotic match with a time when players chase each other across the galaxy. One who leads a campaign of guerrilla warfare and tactically evades battle and out of battle. Another hunts down a rebel base, one system at a time.

Despite the huge difference in tactics they require, both factions are just as much fun as one after the other. In the end, they will both want to switch sides and try again.

If it weren’t for Star Wars, the mountain of rules could be accused of being a bit hasty and unnecessary. And don’t get me wrong, this is definitely not an easy ride. However, due to my wealth of themes, it is more than worth it.

Star Wars: Rebellion
Star Wars: Rebellion
  • EXPERIENCE THE GALACTIC CIVIL WAR AS NEVER BEFORE: In Star Wars ...
  • STRATEGY: Players secretly, carefully planning their turns ...
  • THE GAME OF EPIC CONFLICTS: As a Rebel player, the leading daring strikes ...

Have you tried Star Wars: Rebellion? Drop a comment below! We would love to hear your thoughts on this huge game of cats and mice.

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