My players are nearly finished with the core campaign and are excited for Twin Suns and Return to Hoth. I'm curious how xp works now. What do my players do with xp that they earn in the expansions. Won't they run out of things to buy from the character decks? Are you supposed to wipe the slate clean and start all over again when you start Hoth?

Yes

To be a little more clear each Campaign is a clear slate. Built characters do not currently carry over from one to the other.

This is kind of disappointing, especially since there aren't a lot of new characters to play. More than likely, you'll have a player play a character already used by someone else.

This is kind of disappointing, especially since there aren't a lot of new characters to play. More than likely, you'll have a player play a character already used by someone else.

The core box has 6. Twin shadows has 2. That alone gives you enough for 2 completely different groups. Discounting chosing different skills (and interactions between heroes).

We all like to have more, but it's not that bad

This is kind of disappointing, especially since there aren't a lot of new characters to play. More than likely, you'll have a player play a character already used by someone else.

Something I've considered, though no where near the position to test it, is to use the same characters but double the xp cost of all skills, and continue the threat progression from before. Not sure how well that will balance (likely not at all)

First problem with that is you'd have the heroes tackling the final mission at only half the skill level... which would be rather challenging. Another solution might be to keep everything the same, but add the final threat value of the first campaign to missions of the second. So as they go through the second campaign they'll be able to buy all the skills they couldn't in the first. And the additional threat will increase the difficult of the missions to account for that... Of course by the final mission of the second campaign, that would be generating serious threat at that point...

First problem with that is you'd have the heroes tackling the final mission at only half the skill level... which would be rather challenging. Another solution might be to keep everything the same, but add the final threat value of the first campaign to missions of the second. So as they go through the second campaign they'll be able to buy all the skills they couldn't in the first. And the additional threat will increase the difficult of the missions to account for that... Of course by the final mission of the second campaign, that would be generating serious threat at that point...

Then add more open groups and let it rain AT-ST's and Elite Royal Guards?

I'd been curious about this as well. We're nearly finished with the campaign in the base set and have Twin Shadows and Return to Hoth ready to go, however, the friend I play the game with has gotten attached to the characters and wants to continue with them through the other campaigns. I wouldn't think this is a unique situation and that there would be rules in place for scaling up the subsequent expansions for experienced characters. but yes, I was about to come post the same question, even though I've been on the FFG forums long enough to know how these discussions go.

OP: I have a slight difference of opinion with one of the rules.

FFG Forums: Allow me to explain why you're an idiot for not thinking that the developers' very feces is untrammeled delight to behold. (Followed by 7+ pages of devs' salads being tossed.)

I am relatively new to Imperial Assault, but I have 30 years of experience playing board games, RPGs, etc. I understand the issue (HeroQuest and Warmammer Quest were the same back in the day). I really like working hard to get a character (or the Empire) where I want it to be. So I understand wanting to keep things going with the same characters and all of their hard earned benefits.

From what little experience I have with IA I can say I like the idea of cutting all rewards in half for both the Rebels and Imperial players in the next campaign. This will slow progression so you don't run out out things to buy. I would also continue the Threat from the previous campaign and have it increase whenever there is an increase for the next campaign. It isn't a perfect solution, but it might work.

The limitation is the game itself. Imperial Assault is a tactical miniatures game with light elements of RPG added. If you wanted to progress beyond the boundaries of the game...

...pick up Age of Rebellion/Edge of the Empire/Force & Destiny.

You are already familiar with many of the concepts and a lighter version of the mechanics of the RPG. You want to take that next step and continue the story of your characters because you are invested. The RPG is the next natural step. The upside is that you have all of these cool play aids from IA to enrich the experience. But now you can go beyond the limitations of the campaign book and do whatever you want.

The downsides are there as well. Aside from the $60 for a core book and $15 for dice, the Game Master (i.e. the Empire player) will now have to devise scenarios and plan a game. But IA gives you a decent framework how to do that. Further, the Age of Rebellion (and others) rule book has a great Game Master section for advice. And none of you have to "get into character" if you don't want to. If you like the whole mission-action-aftermath formula with some dialogue thrown it, stick with it.

However, maybe that isn't the step you are ready to take. If not, more power to you with making IA work for you.

I am relatively new to Imperial Assault, but I have 30 years of experience playing board games, RPGs, etc. I understand the issue (HeroQuest and Warmammer Quest were the same back in the day). I really like working hard to get a character (or the Empire) where I want it to be. So I understand wanting to keep things going with the same characters and all of their hard earned benefits.

From what little experience I have with IA I can say I like the idea of cutting all rewards in half for both the Rebels and Imperial players in the next campaign. This will slow progression so you don't run out out things to buy. I would also continue the Threat from the previous campaign and have it increase whenever there is an increase for the next campaign. It isn't a perfect solution, but it might work.

The limitation is the game itself. Imperial Assault is a tactical miniatures game with light elements of RPG added. If you wanted to progress beyond the boundaries of the game...

...pick up Age of Rebellion/Edge of the Empire/Force & Destiny.

You are already familiar with many of the concepts and a lighter version of the mechanics of the RPG. You want to take that next step and continue the story of your characters because you are invested. The RPG is the next natural step. The upside is that you have all of these cool play aids from IA to enrich the experience. But now you can go beyond the limitations of the campaign book and do whatever you want.

The downsides are there as well. Aside from the $60 for a core book and $15 for dice, the Game Master (i.e. the Empire player) will now have to devise scenarios and plan a game. But IA gives you a decent framework how to do that. Further, the Age of Rebellion (and others) rule book has a great Game Master section for advice. And none of you have to "get into character" if you don't want to. If you like the whole mission-action-aftermath formula with some dialogue thrown it, stick with it.

However, maybe that isn't the step you are ready to take. If not, more power to you with making IA work for you.

I have all three of the RPGs, so it's not the "You haven't given FFG enough money" problem.

I think one way of doing it is to have a gap between campaigns. As there isn't really any "character" to the heroes, with a little way away from the game will mean when someone comes back they will have lost a little of their connection to their original hero, and so probably be more interested in trying something different, a new hero.

As to there not being many: we have... 11 in total? That isn't quite enough to have totally different ones for each campaign (that would need 12), but it does allow for different combos, and you can play with very little repeats (only one would need to be), and it doesn't count trying the different skills from the different classes.

Wow Doctor X calm down.

Basically the problem is that this game has no content (skills, items, super elite enemies, side mission) to keep going after the finale and still have character progression.

So if you want to play on with your characters, you either have very limited to no character progression for the entire campaign (also going on the same side mission 2 times feels kind of unthematic) or you develop some content by yourself (2-3 3XP and 4XP skills, super elite enemies and a few items, especially stronger armor, maybe a new side mission with new skill reward).

The other option is to just let it go. I know it's hard at first, but it's very likely you will bond to your new character similarly strong as you did with your current char.

My players wee perfectly eager to try new characters when they started Hoth. And Twin Shadows for that matter...

Consider this:

Each deck has 8 purchasable upgrades costing a grand total of 20XP (Rebel and Imperial). Each mission in the core set awards (win or lose) 1 XP to the players. The core campaign and hoth campaign are both 11 missions long, for 22 missions total, awarding 20XP (the finales dont award XP). Coincidence?

As long as the threat continued to increase at a linear rate (+6 threat level) going into the second campaign, and set the rebel item deck to tier 3 for the entirety of the second half of the campaign, you could easily carry over without fear of running out of upgrades to purchase (you may run out of items to purchase). This is all house rules of course, and you may have to add and extra open group choice for the imperial player once the threat level exceeds 8. (You could "make it rain AT-STs" every other turn if you wish).

Note, this would not apply to the Twin Shadows campaign, as it is built to advance the heroes very quickly across 4 missions, instead of 11.

Consider this:

Each deck has 8 purchasable upgrades costing a grand total of 20XP (Rebel and Imperial). Each mission in the core set awards (win or lose) 1 XP to the players. The core campaign and hoth campaign are both 11 missions long, for 22 missions total, awarding 20XP (the finales dont award XP). Coincidence?

As long as the threat continued to increase at a linear rate (+6 threat level) going into the second campaign, and set the rebel item deck to tier 3 for the entirety of the second half of the campaign, you could easily carry over without fear of running out of upgrades to purchase (you may run out of items to purchase). This is all house rules of course, and you may have to add and extra open group choice for the imperial player once the threat level exceeds 8. (You could "make it rain AT-STs" every other turn if you wish).

Note, this would not apply to the Twin Shadows campaign, as it is built to advance the heroes very quickly across 4 missions, instead of 11.

The missions do not give 1 XP win or lose, most story missions give 1-2 meaning either side may be going into the last mission with 10-14 XP.

Not only will your item decks be pretty thin going into the second campaign, you will generate so many credits that you will completely strip the deck before you're half way through.

On top of that agenda varies quite a bit, on the current Hoth campaign I will have completely emptied the agenda deck aside from maybe 1 card.

That doesn't sound like a problem math can't solve. We just need to plot potential extremes, and possibly introduce expendable resources for credit use.

Another thing it would do is dramatically increase the value if Agenda unlocked Villains, making each unlock usable more often and for longer. I think that's a positive change.

Personally, I seriously dislike the win/lose aspect of unlocking villains and rebels. I think they should be purchases. Maybe that's just me. Maybe that's something we could be spending XP on? Or, for rebel heroes, they can spend (deployment cost *100 credits) to unlock a rebel ally. And the Imperial player would have to spend Influence and XP based on the mission that would unlock the villain.

I could see implementing a house rule where you could spend XP on increased health/endurance. (+2 health max / +1 endurance max)

That doesn't sound like a problem math can't solve. We just need to plot potential extremes, and possibly introduce expendable resources for credit use.

Another thing it would do is dramatically increase the value if Agenda unlocked Villains, making each unlock usable more often and for longer. I think that's a positive change.

There is no point unlocking villains for the Imperials, they're all over pointed. I only play them if I want to give myself a handicap because they suck so much. Only Sorin can really be worth his points and that requires he be played along with certain other units, in which case Sorin is probably much TOO good with all the stunning.

Considering that by the end of the campaign a single hero can slaughter Darth Vader easily, you know, one of the most fearsome and deadly people in the galaxy, I don't really see any need to keep going with them and making them MORE powerful.

If you really want to keep things going then try doubling the cost of everything so you'll arrive at the final mission in Hoth with the normal amount of equipment and abilities. You'll have to reduce threat and initial deployments for core and increase them for Hoth, but that shouldn't be that hard.