ive been stalking this game for a while. I already have armada and x-wing, and I'm feeling the itch for squad based and dungeon-esq crawling in the Star Wars universe.

So the question is: why should I buy into this game?

What are the likes? What is disliked about this game?

Any feedback or info is appreciated.

If you played the old Wizard's Star Wars mini's game IA skirmish is like its better cousin. The fact that you can play most games in less than a half hour is a big plus.

The campaign is like descent 2e with better line of sight and blocking rules.

If you like custom painting your own mini's this game is a must. The plastic is high quality and detailed.

I don't like the limited availability of core set units, i.e. not all core set units have their own stand alone pack.

Nor do I like the setup time that goes into making and breaking down maps.

The net result is I freaking love this game and I wish more people played it; skirmish and campaign.

From your original post, it looks like you're primarily interested in the Campaign. It's great. Buy it. Play it.

Seriously, I've played both Descent 2.0 and Imperial Assault campaign, and the changes they made to IA are definitely a step up. Plus, if you're a SW fan (which apparently you are, owning both Armada and X-Wing), then it's got that powerful SW feel.

Myself, I'm more of a Skirmish player. You use up to 4 heroes in the Campaign (with occasional help from allies who you can gain)...but in the Skirmish, it's all squad-based. There are currently 3 factions (Rebel, Imperial, Mercenary), and you can sometimes pull pieces from one faction into another (but Rebels and Imperials will obviously never work together). You build a squad of 40pts (ie, a squad of 3 regular Stormtroopers costs 6 of your 40pts), and face off against an opponent who has also built a squad. You play on a pre-determined map, and each map has 2 different missions that you could play. These missions provide alternate ways to score Victory Points. The way to win is by scoring 40 VP, whether from defeating enemy units or accomplishing mission objectives, or (usually) a combination of both. You also have Command Cards that you can play; these CCs add another depth of tactics and planning to the game. Oh yeah, one more thing: the skirmish game has the same level of Organized Play support that X-Wing does; that means Store Championships, Regionals, OP Kits, Nationals, Worlds, etc.

Seriously, I've been an avid miniatures gamer for years: Star Wars Miniatures, D&D Miniatures, World of Warcraft Miniatures, X-Wing...and Imperial Assault is my personal favorite. By far. If you like grid-based skirmish combat, IA Skirmish is great. If you like the sound of a dungeon crawler in the SW universe, IA Campaign is great. And if you like both...then it's a BARGAIN!

Me: You know what I love about Imperial Assault?

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You: What are you doing?

Me: Nothing. And that's my point. Imperial Assault sells itself.

But seriously, if you're into tabletop dungeon crawling RPG's then you can't go wrong with this. I've played HeroQuest since I was 8 years old, as well as Space Crusade, the D&D dungeon games (Ravenloft, Drizzt, and Ashardalon), and Descent. While they all have various things that make them unique, IA is far and away the best experience with D&D a close second (but HeroQuest will always have a special place in my heart). Plus IA is Star Wars. It's worth it just for that factor, but even if it was a different genre, it would be a great game.

I actually got into it because my friends and I started a Star Wars RPG and wanted tabletop minis to represent characters while we played. The fact that it came with a map jigsaw puzzle that could be put together in a huge variety of ways was just a nice bonus. Once we got it, however, we decided to give the campaign a try and it's huge fun! Even better, you can run through the campaign several times and get different missions and different results every time, so the replay value is huge. I don't have a lot of experience with the skirmish rules, but I think thereisnotry made a convincing case for it.

I know the core set is kind of expensive, but none of my friends regret buying it or any of the expansions so far. If you really need more convincing, find a FLGS that has open play and watch/try a game or two. Enjoy!

The game's great. Nuff said!

Why get this? Cause its good, its really really good. I have a group of friends and each one likes different stuff. For example one loves buffing games another prefer euros like Agricola and another likes anything that involves a lot of thinking. I have played the skirmish mode with 3 of them and they all loved it. I did a small play through of the first 2 missions with 2 friends and they both are super excited to play it again.

It's a Star Wars Movie in a box.

For someone, who doesn't like Star Wars: It is the best Dungeon Crawler I've ever seen. As a bonus it comes with the best wargame I've ever played (and I've played them all).

For someone, who likes Star Wars: All the above plus STAR WARS!

Its just really really fun I finally decided to bite the bullet and dole out the cash for it got a couple guys at my lfgs to play now we're already going ahead with a campaign,im getting a copy of every add-on and pack, and helpin my lfgs organise a tournament

So... Sell me Imperial Assault

No way, I enjoy it too much! Go to a shop or something!

Thanks for the input guys; this will definitely be a big for me. Also, @mazz0, lol!

It's FFG's best ever Core Set - two games in one, both of which are excellent!

For campaign - check out Shut Up & Sit Down's video review

For learning about skirmish - check out my article on it

What are the likes? What is disliked about this game?

Likes:

* Tight mechanics: It feels very balanced even if individial scenarios aren't.

* Star Wars flavor: It's just plain awesome to play Han, Boba, Vader, Luke, Chewie, ...

* Varied playstyles: The campaign mixes it up by having a few very different missions that make the campaign not feel stale.

* Amoutn of content: The box is so full of content, I have not played all campaign missions after a solid 7 months of play time. I am getting close though, but the first expansion is already out. Seriously, even if you never touch Skirmish, the core box alone has at least 60-70 hours of play time.

* Skirmish: Did I mention that the game has 2 modes ... one being a competitive head to head mode? I played my first tournament 2 weeks ago (came in 2nd) and it was a blast! It takes longer to set up than X-Wing, but not significantly.

Dislikes:

* Figures are not pre-painted: I just don't like to paint, so they stay grey/brown

* Balance: A few facets of the game don't seem very balanced. But if you are not deep diving into the game, you probably won't even notice it.

* The figure packs: They don't add too much to the campaign, so you could skip them. But then you'd have to play with the tokens ... so buying it is.

All in all, it's the best value for money I have seen in a board game so far. And on top of that, it's Star Wars branded. What's not to like?

I've been staring at Imp assault for a while, X-wing has spoiled me so don't want to paint my own stuff, but don't want to play unpainted either, so still staring and debating.

Yeah painting can be that one last obstacle for players. For me it's the whole reason to get invovlved. But there are always painting services if your wallet can handle it, and if you are feeling adventurous and want to paint yourself, you can actually achieve table ready look with minimal work thanks to a few techniques that are readily available online.

Ohh I know, long term 40K'er. Like I said, x-wing spoiled me.

Playing unpainted is not an option?

It is but it isn't.

Trying to shrug off 20 years of if it's grey it's not in play 40k psychology ain't that easy.

My reasons:

1. My wife and all my friends say I have gaming ADD, but this game has stuck. Instead of spending money on additional games (like I normally do), I keep buying things to make this game better (not complete, just better).

2. I didn't like the idea of painting my minis, but now I look forward to it. It's relaxing and something to do with the family (the kids like to watch). As a first time painter, the minis aren't crazy complicated - but there's just enough detail there to make them really pop if you paint them. I look at the time and effort you'd have to put into a 40K figure and it just seems daunting. These are just right.

3. I love that there's two games in one. That's a really big deal when you have a diverse gaming group. My wife would hate skirmish, but really looks forward to long campaign games. On the other hand, one of my buddies prefers the quick and tactical skirmish games.

4. Broad appeal and understability. I stopped playing the Star Wars card game to play this game instead. The SWC was fun, and it was my favorite game before this, but I stopped playing it because this is just so dang simple to explain. I play this game with my hardcore gaming friends, my wife, and my 7 and 9 year old daughters.

5. The basics are simple, but there's loads of tactical depth and strategy.

6. Great theme in the story and characters. I love that there's an actual point and goal instead of just a match between two builds. Even the skirmish games have a point and a backstory to them. The characters feel like the characters, and their abilities are just cool.

7. It's Star Wars. Other games may have cool characters and backstories, but these characters and stories are in the Star Wars universe. You can't exactly play the Imperial March while playing Decent, I'm guessing.

Go demo it at a local shop. It seriously sells itself. And because - STAR WARS! The Han Solo missions are amazingly fun, especially with all the surprises. REALLY feels like a side movie plot which is awesome!

I hadn't played anything like it, and also come from X-Wing. I enjoy both modes of the game, campaign and skirmish.

It is the only game in our house that is constantly in play and setup.

It is the only game in our house that is constantly in play and setup.

lol...our house too! This game comes off the shelf at least twice as often as any other game in our house. And we've got a PILE of games, because Dad (me) is a massive maniac gamer.

So where should I start? I'm thinking twin shadows and the core game obviously, but if I'm going to be doing a serious campaign, any recommended ally/villain packs? What about expanding into skirmish?

Campaign is fine without ally/villain packs but they add more options (villain more so). Look at the previews and see which cards interest your group more. Skirmish you'll definitely want them but play a bit to work out how you like to play before you decide. Some people also by multiple copies of the boxes as most of the basic troops in them don't have any other way to get more copies.

My suggestion would be to start by buying only the Core Game first to try it.

Start a campaign, and as the campaign progress and missions require allies or villains, buy the pack so you have the miniature(instead of just a token) to play. No need to buy them all at once, let the randomness decide which one to buy. Once you finished the campaign, if you liked the game enough, buy Twin Shadows to run the mini campaign, it will put the new figures (2 heroes and 2 new villain group) into the spotlight. After that, Return to Hoth should be out.

For the skirmish, try it out and if you like it, buy the ally and villain pack that you are interested to play. All the cards are already included in the base game (except for the elite Rebel troopers and Saboteurs), the ally and villain pack only give you the miniature required (instead of the token included in the core box) and some command card. Try the mode first with the core game, then decide if you wish to invest more in it.