How far does everyone go as far as RP with SW:IA?

Last night - while playing with the Mrs - I added a bit of RP into the game to add a little flavour to the game. Nothing too crazy - this isn't DND or Pathfinder - but just a little something to balance / immerse a little more into the story.

For instance: Playing Aftermath (MINOR SPOILER ALERT)

• I didn't place any of the objects 'inside' the building to start the mission. As the Rebels couldn't 'see' the objects, it didn't make sense to place them.
• When the rebels opened the door, I filled the 'Atrium' area. I didn't worry about Line of Sight - not that it applies here - as you want something that fits well enough without being too complicated.
• When 'Lockdown' triggers, I RP'd the Lockdown effect. For the terminals I RP'd 'an alarm sounds from a nearby terminal and the terminals flash with red lettering you can't quite make out' and then told them the terminals now had 7 health OR 'you hear the sound of footsteps and armor coming from the storage room and behind you, a reinforced barricade slams down in place of the door' and then fill them in that Imperial troops can now deploy to the storage room and the door requires extra damage to re-open
• I placed the objects in the storage room as soon as the first Rebel turned the corner and had Line of Sight into the room.

For me, I thought it helped create that atmosphere of "How many terminals ARE there?!" and gave my wife a bit more of that feeling of exploration as she moved through the map.

Any thoughts for the players out there? Does it become a big problem / balance issue at any point to not fully populate the map, even for the parts that Rebels can't 'see' in-game? Do (would?) your rebel players get any further treat from ad-libbing some RP into your sessions?

I think this is great, but I might have told them some basic things like how many terminals there are and maybe where they were (in general terms if not on the board). I'd expect that if the Rebels were sending out troops, they would at least know how many they expected to have to destroy.

Our group did some similar things, thought to a lesser degree. We had the terminals placed, but the Imp player did not place models until after the door opened and I believe there was a little fluff blurb in the campaign guide he read when the door opened/closed (he closed it). He placed the stormies around the corner, despite that we couldn't see them, since they were going to move/shoot/etc. in that turn.

I think additional RP is great. I'm not much of a roleplayer, but I try to add a little bit here and there as I can as the Imperial.

That said, so far I'm crushing the Rebels, and am not about to do things that would make it harder for them, for the cause of roleplaying. Right now I'm trying to sort out if there are a few ways I can make things easier.

Nothing wrong with adding some extra narrative stuff or role-playing characters.

I wouldn't do go against what the book says though. Keeping everything out on the map at the start of the mission like is shown, adding things as the book tells you to, and sticking to the rules helps keep the balance of the game which helps ensure the Rebels actually have a fighting chance against the Imperial - who is already able to prepare and create strategies based on events the players won't know about.

Adding flavor such as narrative descriptors of playing piece actions is fine and adds to immersion.

That being said, IA is a board game. The game is designed with the intent that players know specic data and the locations of important mission triggers on the map. Add that most missions have time limits in the form of turns. Withholding information can disrupt a team's activation efficiency by exploring otherwise empty areas.

In ending, be mindful of how changes affect the designed intent.

I think it's great to add some RP into it. For that reason I would for Aftermath indeed only place one terminal token outside. They see a door and know there are more terminals to disable. But that's it.

Now I would indeed be carefull about what to leave out and what not. Personally if you really wanna have the RP experience and "exploration" feeling, I would suggest waiting for some custom co-op rules to come out (like Redjak's co-op version of Descent and he is currently working on a Imperial Assault variant!) ( http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1290833/ive-begun-work-redjaks-automated-emperor-variant )

That way you get the RP/exploration experience for a solo or co-op play and the Imperial figures will move automated depending on the card you draw.

Thanks guys.

I'm thinking maybe I'm holding back a bit too much with the Imperials, perhaps putting all the elements on the board will allow me to stretch my legs with Imperials a little more.

I would love to see so age of rebellion rules mixed with IA's. Maybe character creation?