Imperial Assault seems pretty much dead in my area and that is somewhat shocking since Winnipeg has a thriving X-Wing and Armada player base - over a hundred players listed on the Winnipeg X-Wing and Armada Facebook page (103 to be exact). There are half a dozen game stores that hold X-Wing tournaments regularly and Armada tournaments frequently and players that continue to meet up at games stores to play even when these stores are not holding any event. You can easily game X-Wing or Armada once a week in Winnipeg.

Then there's Imperial Assault. Even our campaign players can't find the time to link up to play more than once every two months and at the last monthly tournament at A Muse N Games I was the only one to show up, so I didn't even get a game in at the only store in Winnipeg desperately trying to keep IA alive in Winnipeg.

So, what's the problem? Game mechanics-wise, IA is pretty solid and I actually prefer IA to either X-Wing or Armada, both of which I play. Two reasons why I think IA is dead in Winnipeg (which has a vibrant gaming community) is the non-painted miniatures and the annoying puzzle piece maps. To be honest, I use Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Minis myself for IA. They're not as detailed but they are painted. I just don't think new players are attracted to a game with unpainted minis. As for the puzzle piece maps, even IA players like myself who really like the game absolutely detest puzzle piece map building between skirmishes.

Anyhoo, what's everyone's thoughts and experiences with this. I know some people want to paint their own minis, but for new non-painting players (especially younger players), are non-painted minis stopping the game from catching on? Are the lack of printed maps an issue? Is something else going wrong with the game? Is it just in Winnipeg that IA is dead strangely dead?

To see this great game so dead in such a thriving gaming city is extremely unusual.

At first I hated having unpainted minis.

Well technically I still do. I just started painting them myself.

I began ver nervous about my results and often got frustrated at small imperfections. As a painter and as a perfectionist I've improoved a lot.

Now I actually find painting my miniatures very relaxing. It's not for everyone but it can be a fun hobby.

The maps aren't too hard to get setup once you have these PDF files downloaded to a tablet and can actually see which map tiles go where.

https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21AANjJToIP4cDV0M&id=8211CF6B14E49D50%21313&cid=8211CF6B14E49D50

The other thing I think is difficult is the price entry point compared to X-Wing. It is at least $70 - $100 for the core set and as you said the minis aren't painted. I will say though the mini expansions are by far cheaper than an equivalent X-Wing expansion. So there is that.

Have you thought about trying to setup a Local Facebook group, and also tried to run a League? Leagues

can be good for people that can't make it consistently but want to play. It will take time and effort to build the meta, but if a group knows that there is a time and place every week that is meeting they can work it into their schedule. Tournaments can be hit or miss on weekends in general especially if the player base is small.

Fantasy Flight needed to do a better job of providing guides on where the actual pieces go to assemble their maps, that is the most time consuming aspect. With the pdfs I linked too. I haven't had a map take longer than a minute or two to setup (assuming you have organized all your tiles so they are easier to find the right tiles needed).

I would also suggest its the price. I doubt your entire local game community is shallow enough to be turned off by the color of their board game pieces.

People love the games they're already playing. If they're super hooked on what they already play it's hard to get them to try something else let alone switch.

Search this forum for 4x4. I think this is the main reason, People don't play this game as much ...

I think there is also a lack of time for many players. I love playing IA, but I love playing X Wing even more. However I only have one evening a week to play so IA usually takes a back seat.