Did anyone here play Star Wars Miniatures by Wizards of the Coast a few years back? If so, could you compare SWM to the Skirmish mode of Imperial Assault?

I am a long time player of SWM, and in fact, I still play it. So here are some similarities and differences:

Similarities

• Use the same size of miniatures, and on a 1-inch square grid.
• Tactical movement and out-maneuvering your opponent is important...in fact, it's probably one of the key parts of the game.
• Character cards (SWM) and Deployment cards (IA) have basic stats (HP, attack, defense, etc) and special abilities (for example, Assault in IA is pretty much the same as Double Attack in SWM).
• Characters have 2 actions on their turn in IA...in SWM they have a Move and an Attack action (so 2 actions there too).
• "Movement-breakers" (ie, pieces that give an ally free movement) are powerful.
• Having more activations than your opponent can sometimes be a strong tactic.

Differences

• Doors exist, but cannot be locked. (hooray!)
• The maps in IA are smaller, and they must be assembled with the interlocking tiles...SWM had folded paper maps (or rolled if you laminated them).
• SWM used Gambit to help force engagement in a tournament setting. IA uses Mission Objectives for the same purpose. However, in IA, each map has 2 entirely different Missions...therefore, with 10 maps available right now, we have 20 different possible Missions that you can play. Not all maps are used in competitive play at all times...right now there are 3 active maps (therefore 6 missions) for competitions.
• Stalling and/or hiding was a tactic sometimes used in SWM. In IA, it's extremely difficult to do because the maps are so small. Most IA matches are finished after 4 rounds or so.
• SWM: anyone with a gun can shoot across the map. IA: you roll for your range. Some weapons have a longer potential range on their shots (but usually less damage), while some weapons have relatively short range (but usually more punch). Personally, I consider this a HUGE step up from SWM!
• Targeting in SWM: if you can see any portion of the target's square, you have line of sight to it. Targeting in IA: you have to be able to draw 2 unobstructed lines from one corner of the attacker's square to any 2 corners of the opponent's square (and these lines cannot run on top of each other). Some other targeting things are different too, such as the ability to stand at the end of a thin wall and shoot around the corner at someone on the other side of the wall...impossible in SWM, but possible in IA. Targeting is probably the biggest adjustment I had to make when learning IA.
• Movement: in SWM, moving diagonallys cost 2 movement points, but in IA it only costs 1 (and you can move diagonally across corners). Furthermore, in SWM enemy characters block movement...in IA, they simply double the movement cost for entering that square.
• SWM: pre-painted minis. IA: paint your own...they come in gray and beige. [However, I cannot recommend Sorrastro's painting series enough: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6xOeNhrVj9to2nKZjk5H8OAQbG9izBrH . I had never painted a miniature in my life, but now I'm doing it for my entire IA collection. I'm almost done with my Imperials, and they look great!]
• SWM: blind booster buying. IA: you know exactly what you get, and how many you'll get. I've found IA to be significantly less expensive than SWM...and I'm a completionist for both, who tends to buy multiples of things that I like (such as Rebel Saboteurs or Core Sets).
• SWM: a single D20. IA: you get a whole rainbow of dice.
• SWM: 10 factions (including the Prequel Trilogy and Expanded Universe factions). IA: 3 factions: Rebels, Imperials, Mercenaries (ie, Fringe).
• SWM is mostly dead; we had 22 players this year at the SWM GenCon North American Championship. IA is alive and growing: 54 players this year (its first year) at the National Championships at GenCon.
• ...and perhaps the most important one: SWM was run by Wizards of the Coast ( boooo!!! ), while IA is run by Fantasy Flight Games ( Woohoo!!!! ). FFG is actively listening to the feedback of its players and is working hard to ensure that the game is as strong and healthy as they can make it. FFG has a reputation (carried on into IA!) of caring deeply for its games and its players, while WotC, on the other hand...not so much. Seriously, FFG is investing itself in organized IA play (using the same level of support and the same system that they use for X-Wing), which means league kits, prize support, Store Championships/Regionals, National Championship, World Championship, etc.

I've always enjoyed SWM (something like 10 years now), and I always will. But I enjoy IA more.

I'm sure that people can come up with more comparisons than this, but I think this is a pretty decent start.

TINT pretty much nailed it (nice read by the way). Two more I would add as advantages to IA

1) there is no stealth ability in IA which was so hard to explain in the interactions in SWM.

2) there is no constant math of rolling a d20, adding modifiers, then subtracting defense stat to see if you hit. Then adding potential damage modifiers for some abilities, etc. In IA, you roll and the results are on the dice without having to back to the card. You do have to match defense dice to cancel some results and whatnot, but it is more of a one to one and not having to calculate.

If you played SWM, it is very easy to pick up IA skirmish and start playing with just a few adjustments, but mostly improvements in my opinion. Also, I never have been much of an RPG guy, but since I own all the stuff for IA, I most likely will run the campaign sometime in the future which was never an option with SWM. I did love playing that game, but do like IA more.

I think the two biggies differences to overcome moving from Minis to IA is moving diagonally and there not being cover bonuses or anything like that.

I like IA game mechanics. It's quick to learn. The campaign is a plus for my sons and I, skirmish is an added bonus in my opinion. SWM has more options in miniatures then IA, but the quality of the sculpts in IA more then make up for it and with future expansions coming more options will be coming soon. And the fact that FFG has created new heroes for the game proves they are dedicated to giving Star Wars fans the best gaming experience.

Yeah, we are basically just 2 Waves in for IA...SWM had something like 15 complete sets or more before it was finished. If we give IA time to "catch up" then I think we'll find that we actually have more options available to us than SWM did in its prime. The reason for that is because of the blind-booster-buying model that SWM used...by necessity only a few of the pieces in any set were really worth using in a competitive squad. But in IA I'm already finding that a far greater percentage of the available characters are worth using. If this pattern continues then I think we'll actually end up with more options in IA than we ever had in SWM. And that's a good thing.

Well the good thing about SWM is that there was such a variety such that if you wanted to run a RPG with the minis to represent different things you pretty much had one for anything. I kinda hope that we get some of the odder pieces, utilities droids and such, for people who want to use them for FFG's RPGs.

Yeah, I'm still using my WotC minis for everything...whether that's proxying the new IA pieces before the delivery truck shows up or representing characters in our RPG campaign.

I think it'll be a while before we have as broad a representation with IA minis as we do with SWM though...IA is releasing a few minis at a time (36 in the core, a few singles as expansion packs), whereas SWM released its minis in waves of 60 and 40 figures at a time. 120 per year with WotC, but 50-ish per year with IA.

I really liked Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Miniatures game, but Imperial Assault is a better game, thanks to objectives, command cards, and even inexpensive units having real value. I still really wish I had all of my Star Wars Miniatures, though. I'm starting up an RPG campaign and could really use them. Unfortunately, I lost the tubs that had my Imperial and Fringe minis during my latest move.