If you have played both how would you rate them against each other?

FFG's IA totally beats WotC's Star Wars minis. SWM was far too open to abuse. The minis were excellent for the most part and pre-painted, but after the Universe expansion with Grand Admiral Thrawn it was far too open to power-gaming. Many people just stopped playing after that expansion. It seemed more like Magic: The Gathering or HeroClix in that squad-building trumped anything you could actually do in gameplay. Completely unbalanced.

However, WotC's SWM had pre-painted minis and printed maps, both of which I still have tons of. FFG needs to come out with pre-painted minis (or younger players and non-painting gamers will never pick this excellent game up) and printed maps (especially for tournaments).

I really can't compare them. I still play, and enjoy, both. However, if you are looking for an objective based skirmish, IA is for you. If you are looking for a staight last man standing, SW Miniatures is for you.

IA Skirmish +'s

squad based grunts

alternative ways to win

unlimited map possibilities

SW Miniatures +'s

Lots more characters

Willing to use lots more of the EU

Vader can be killed (yes, I know he can be killed in IA, but it is HARD)

Fan created maps (Maps of Mastery, Armored Cartographer)

Less genaric Maps

So ultimately it just depends what you are looking for.

There was a topic floating around with lots of one to one comparisons a few months back if you can find it.

For me, the short list:

In IA there are no locked doors. No override characters that can hide in a room.

In IA, everyone has greater mobile, you can split your movement with an interaction or attack in between.

In IA, there are very few with multiple attacks.

In IA damage is based on die rolls, not a base stat. No math to figure what hits or doesn't, just compare results and assess damage. The surge abilities are a nice way to tailor results so there is still some strategy and not all luck.

In IA there is no stealth or cover, which to me makes it much easier to explain to other players.

In IA diagonal movement is counted as one, and attack of opportunities only exist with a couple abilities, not a given.

In IA, range attacks do not dominate since there is a limit on distance so the melee characters can get close enough to attack.

The lack of painted minis can be a deterrent, but if you played WOTC SWM, you might have enough pieces to use as proxies if you are not playing tournaments, but want that SW feel. I enjoy IA much better, but there are still some things SWM is better as noted in felswrath's post.

Thanks for the info. I have a ton of WotC SW minus but I never played it. I used them collecting and RPGs. I was thinking about picking up the IA game.

FFG needs to come out with pre-painted minis (or younger players and non-painting gamers will never pick this excellent game up).

Speaking as a non-painting gamer unpainted minis don't bother me too much.

FFG needs to come out with pre-painted minis (or younger players and non-painting gamers will never pick this excellent game up).

Speaking as a non-painting gamer unpainted minis don't bother me too much.

Agreed as another non-painter. Painting is nice but not a deal breaker.

If you wan to try your hand at painting, the figures do paint rather easily because the sculpts are fantastic. You pay quite a bit for each piece, but still cheaper than every chase figure in SWM. But, the quality is worth it. If you don't mind the colors, the figures stand straight and have great detail for little plastic men.

There was a topic floating around with lots of one to one comparisons a few months back if you can find it.

For me, the short list:

In IA there are no locked doors. No override characters that can hide in a room.

In IA, everyone has greater mobile, you can split your movement with an interaction or attack in between.

In IA, there are very few with multiple attacks.

In IA damage is based on die rolls, not a base stat. No math to figure what hits or doesn't, just compare results and assess damage. The surge abilities are a nice way to tailor results so there is still some strategy and not all luck.

In IA there is no stealth or cover, which to me makes it much easier to explain to other players.

In IA diagonal movement is counted as one, and attack of opportunities only exist with a couple abilities, not a given.

In IA, range attacks do not dominate since there is a limit on distance so the melee characters can get close enough to attack.

The lack of painted minis can be a deterrent, but if you played WOTC SWM, you might have enough pieces to use as proxies if you are not playing tournaments, but want that SW feel. I enjoy IA much better, but there are still some things SWM is better as noted in felswrath's post.

This is the thread: https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/184874-ia-vs-swm-comparison/

Here is a copy of what I posted there:

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:
  . 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.

Thanks. That is quite a through comparison. I appreciate the info.

FFG needs to come out with pre-painted minis (or younger players and non-painting gamers will never pick this excellent game up).

Speaking as a non-painting gamer unpainted minis don't bother me too much.

Agreed as another non-painter. Painting is nice but not a deal breaker.

I'll second... er third that!