We recently played with 7 players...

why not play 2 campaigns with 3 and and 4 players. Getting 7 people around the small maps of IA does not seem like much fun.

Splitting the Imperial side up does not seem like much fun to me as decisions for upgrades and deployments ect. is going to be made by one person which puts the other players on auto pilot for their designated squad and I could not stand being one of the auto pilot imperials.

There have been some nice suggestions for adding more players though many have balance issue, I do really like the idea of using allies to add a 6th player but beyond that I would recommend breaking into smaller groups or playing a different game.

We recently played with 7 players...

why not play 2 campaigns with 3 and and 4 players. Getting 7 people around the small maps of IA does not seem like much fun.

Splitting the Imperial side up does not seem like much fun to me as decisions for upgrades and deployments ect. is going to be made by one person which puts the other players on auto pilot for their designated squad and I could not stand being one of the auto pilot imperials.

There have been some nice suggestions for adding more players though many have balance issue, I do really like the idea of using allies to add a 6th player but beyond that I would recommend breaking into smaller groups or playing a different game.

Yea I don't think you can sustain the 7 people in 1 group, we just had more people come to game night and everybody wanted to play but we only had 1 copy.. (now we have 3 more copies since then) It was OK for every once a while. If you want to do it over every single mission I don't think that would be too much fun... the games/turns take to long.

For 6 Players total, I would concur with the ally route.

Say, for the first mission, the extra 5th player can bring in either Luke, Han or Chewy to the first mission, and you get the extra threat per normal (may have to add an extra open group as you see fit). Then, after say 2 games, that player can 'unlock' a second ally option, but can only bring one to a game. Then, after two more games, he can unlock the third ally option (and possibly allow the Imp player a free Vader or Royal Guard Champ unlock). That player doesn't get the XP or weapon options and what not, but he can radically change his character abilities between rounds, which seems like a good fit. Plus, that means one player can play as one of the 'iconic' characters, which I found certain people really enjoy.

Also, it is often much harder than anticipated to get all 6 people to show up to every gaming session. In that case, the 5th player can take over the hero of whomever is missing, to let him get a taste of the hero card aspect.

I like the ally route idea quite a bit.

But, if everyone want's hero, how about letting them activate only 4 figures per round... they get to chose what 4 as they go (but never more than 4 total)? I also like the idea of reducing each of their health by 20% per hero since they are getting 20% more heroes. And/or making it so you only have to wound 4 heroes instead of all 5 where that is a victory condition for imperials.

I agree with others you'll likely have to adjust per scenario and as you star to figure out what works. If you make a mistake along the way, just give everyone all or most rewards to make up for it.

The one concern I have for trying to run 5 hero's is that someone gets 'left out' each turn. More or less, they have to sit on there hands for a WHOLE turn. It could get even worse if they activate early on T1, get skipped T2, then activate late in T3. I have found some people get bored and start to drift with the normal 4 players, I can only imagine how bored they could get if they are skipped. Plus some missions are over in 4-5 turns. So, if that player's hero really isn't the best, they could get skipped 2 or 3 times, only getting to activate twice in over an hour. Some of my games with a long mission and lots of discussion and chatter have lasted closer to two hours. Doesn't sound that fun to me.

So I think you would have to start changing the rules to compensate for 5 activations, and that could get out of whack pretty quick. But if your group doesn't mind, then go for it.

This is what I'm going to try with my group. I'll report back as to how it goes.

We have 6 hero players, and will have between 2 and 6 of them per session.

Campaign Setup

For the campaign, every hero receives XP, but the cash is "each for 4 heroes" rather than "each per hero" or any other restriction.

Each player may perform the "hero upgrade" step. (Even if they played as an ally or were not present - see below). Ideally everyone does this as early as is possible.

We put 4 random hero red side missions into the deck. (I’ll adjust the deck accordingly, without looking at the other missions, and then shuffle.)

Missions with 2-4 hero players.

Play as per normal rules in the book, including the buffs for a 3 or 2 hero game as appropriate.

If a red side mission has resulted in a special reward for a character not being played, a random character gets to use their special reward instead. BUT this excludes any character whose red side mission has been failed.

If a non-red side mission has resulted in an upgrade for a hero, and that hero is not being played, it goes to another random hero instead.

All non-individual equipment is shared out amongst the players.

If using 3 players, a maximum of 3/4 of the value of the available equipment (with a cost) may be used. 1/4 must be left behind.

If using 2 players, a maximum of 1/2 of the value of the available equipment (with a cost) may be used. 1/2 must be left behind.

Missions with 5-6 hero players.

The 5th and 6th hero are played as "Allies" using the skirmish deployment cards. The imperial player gets threat and optional deployment as normal following the “Ally” rules.

No player may be the "5th or 6th" hero (ally) for 2 missions in a row.

Outside of the above restriction, the player who has played the most times as a "hero" is the ally for this mission. Break ties randomly . (Ditto for the second ally if there are 2.)

The allies do not use any upgrade cards for their hero, including XP abilities, equipment etc. They follow all the ally rules. (They just aren’t that heroic.)

The 5th and 6th hero also may "resurrect" a number of times equal to the mission threat divided by 2. (Round down.) (So always at least once, maximum 3 times.)

When they are defeated, if they have a "resurrect" left, use the following rules.

-If the ally figure is defeated during it's activation, it's activation immediately ends.

-The ally figures deployment card remains exhausted if it has been used this round, or not exhausted if not. (So the player still gets 1 activation per round.)

-Remove the ally figure from the board.

-The imperial player selects one hero figure located either the closest to, or furthest away from, the rebel start location (imperial players choice).

-The allies player deploys in any available space adjacent to the chosen hero.

-The imperial player receives threat equal to the allies cost and may immediately perform an optional deployment.

All else as above. With regards to rewards attached to hero "5" or "6", they are treated like "a hero not being played" above.

I think your current solution is unfair to the imperials. You should consider increasing thear per round by 50% rounded up, cause they will be grinding your troops like there's no tomorrow.

I will probably have this email issue next week. My intent is to let the player use a hero, but I will use the ally rules. So the threat I gain is equal to the hero's deployment to points from the skirmish game. To the campaign progression I will probably that an extra influence.

Salcor

Using allies seems to be the best idea. The game is adapted for that already.

Have each of the 5 players pick a main character. Rotate who sits out, and let them pick an ally to use in the mission. Give rewards per player like normal. This may seem overpowering, but remember that 1 player sits out each time.

I am currently testing a 5 hero campaign that I am playing solo, I am 4 missions in. (Playing solo ruins some surprises but also makes sure both sides have even playing skill )

I'm using the following modifications:

Threat level increased by 1

Starting threat is increased by the threat level

Open Groups increased by 1.

Hero HP reduced by 2

Everything else is the same (the heroes have 5 activations instead of 4).

Balance so far has felt very similar to that of a 4 hero game. Aftermath was a very close rebel victory, for example. And any wins and losses haven't felt abnormal.

It is still preliminary and I plan to write a report once I finish the campaign.

There is no need to step outside of the rules to accommodate a 5th or even 7th player. Have the 5th player pick an alley character. Then, the Imperial player gains threat equal to the point cost of the alley chosen.

There is no need to step outside of the rules to accommodate a 5th or even 7th player. Have the 5th player pick an alley character. Then, the Imperial player gains threat equal to the point cost of the alley chosen.

This is the easy solution, but also has a very real negative in that the 5th player misses out on items and upgrades.

So there is a need to tweak rules if you want a real 5th player. It's just a matter of finding the right balance.

There is no need to step outside of the rules to accommodate a 5th or even 7th player. Have the 5th player pick an alley character. Then, the Imperial player gains threat equal to the point cost of the alley chosen.

This is the easy solution, but also has a very real negative in that the 5th player misses out on items and upgrades.

So there is a need to tweak rules if you want a real 5th player. It's just a matter of finding the right balance.

The heroes have values too. Double their skirmish card value. Honestly, my group enjoys playing with 4 heroes and an alley. They all have their own heroes (that they level up when they play them) and take turn playing as one of the alleys. Their abilities more than make up for the fact that they don't level up.