Time per game? And skipping Side Missions?

By Bitterman, in Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Got a bunch of guys coming around today to play through the campaign.

We don't get together often (real life means that for five of us to all be in the same place at the same time is exceptionally rare...) so I'm hoping we might get through the whole campaign in one day.

How long does a campaign game typically (and realistically) take? An hour? Two? More?

If it's more than about an hour, there's no way we'll get through eleven games in one session. So, Plan B would be to skip the Side Missions, reducing it to six.

Apart from "oh you'll miss out on the fun!" (I know, but knowing us it might be October before we're able to pick it up and carry on, if we can't finish today), what problems could we expect from skipping them? Obviously the heroes will have less XP/credits/equipment/allies before the finale - but the Imperial player will have less XP/agenda/villains, so it should be more-or-less OK?

I'd like to give ourselves the best possible chance of getting the campaign done in one solid chunk of playing time, without finding that we get to the finale and it's all been a waste of time, the heroes can't possibly win because of X, Y or Z.

I think if you want to skip side missions, the easiest would be to draw 2 as planned, chose one, and award winning rewards to both sides.

Now that would not work too well with forced missions.

Edited by Galdred

Would be nice if there was a way to make this an online version too, I am sure someone out there with the know-how could do it

For an online version that would be great but it would violate multiple copyright laws and break a few licenses I bet.

Vassal already had to pull everything Fantasy Flight years ago I doubt you will see a module on anything except cites you are more likely to get a virus than what you want.