OK now I'm getting excited. The millennium falcon is in the game (as a ring attachment anyway) and looks like it can give you an automatic rescue of a captured hero if you successfully complete a mission in the same system. I'm loving the idea of deciding which hero you choose and how many different interactions can take place based on the hero your opponent selects.

I'm not loving the idea of having to deploy a rescued rebel hero in the same area of the map as your hidden base. The benefits of rescuing a hero will have to be really high in order to allow the Empire such an advantage.

With each release this game is becoming more thematic which I'm loving. That's what this game should be about, the players determining the fate of the galaxy!

What are your some of your favorite spoilers from this new review?

Economy was going to make or break this game. This is a fantastic economy both in that it is simple and thematic. I never liked the monopoly money in Axis and Allies and the idea that you could build ANYTHING on an Industrial space owned made no thematic sense. The Economy here is simple. Certain systems produce certain things. If you want to use those systems they must be under your control and be unoccupied. I love it!

Did you read that right with rescued leaders having to go to the rebel base sector? I thought that was just as part of the Empire's actions - letting the Princess escape to track her to the secret base as opposed to the leader "actually" escaping. Is it any leader rescue that causes that?

I knew the Imps could capture people, but the amount of stuff they can do after that is amazing.

Turning them to the darkside which gives the Imps an additional leader while depriving the Rebels from one is super nasty.

The characters are essentially your actions in the game. With the Imps able to capture at least 2 if not possibly more characters in a game, it's a pretty big blow to the Rebels.

The mission to deploy the rescued hero to the hidden base area is an Imp mission though. You're effectively letting them go, but tracking them. It's pretty devious, but also pretty thematic. The rebels are sure to have their own ways to free captured leaders.

I knew the Imps could capture people, but the amount of stuff they can do after that is amazing.

Turning them to the darkside which gives the Imps an additional leader while depriving the Rebels from one is super nasty.

The characters are essentially your actions in the game. With the Imps able to capture at least 2 if not possibly more characters in a game, it's a pretty big blow to the Rebels.

The mission to deploy the rescued hero to the hidden base area is an Imp mission though. You're effectively letting them go, but tracking them. It's pretty devious, but also pretty thematic. The rebels are sure to have their own ways to free captured leaders.

Yes, the Imperial 'mess with captured Rebel Leader' missions are amazing; the Tracking Beacon in particular is great, and Turn to the Darkside card will make them chase Luke around, which again is very thematic.

My only minor complaint is that it sounds like you'll never get all of your possible leaders out on the board; while it makes good replay-ability I'd prefer to have access to the whole crew for both sides.

-Will

I'm not loving the idea of having to deploy a rescued rebel hero in the same area of the map as your hidden base. The benefits of rescuing a hero will have to be really high in order to allow the Empire such an advantage.

That doesn't happen every time. In most cases when a Rebel leader is rescued it's due to an action or mission conducted by the rebel player, in which case the leader just goes back to the leader pool.

This was referring to the Imperial Mission card Homing Beacon

(Which is soooo awesome and thematic it makes my head hurt " You're sure the homing beacon is secure aboard their ship? I'm taking an awful risk, Vader. This had better work. ")

So this is actually an Imperial Mission card, that 'relinquishes' a rebel leader, in order to gain information - JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE!!! hehehe - ok fanboy moment is over...

This mission doesn't come back into the hand of cards, so unless there's a way of getting it back it'll happen once per game, assuming you draw it.

Also note that the leader is placed back into the 'region' of the base, not the 'system' so it's like "OK so the rebel base in is one of those 4 or 5 systems"

This is the closest FFG will ever get to a Euro/Worker Placement game. This looks like quite an interesting blend of Euro and American design philosophy.

You've got your workers (Leaders), you've got your resource management, you've got cards and powers and little bit of dice. You've got combat. But there's sooooo much interaction. Lots of actions can be meddled with in some way, by opposing stuff with your own leaders. Bluffing and double bluffing. You can wreck your opponents production by trying to get units in that system. You can capture ( even permanently! - Lure of the Darkside ) their workers.

I also like how the empire can build and use the Death Star, but they can't risk going crazy with it, they have to try and be precise, otherwise the Rebels may be able to Inspire Sympathy and win out of nowhere.

Oh boy does this look good!

This is the closest FFG will ever get to a Euro/Worker Placement game. This looks like quite an interesting blend of Euro and American design philosophy.

You've got your workers (Leaders), you've got your resource management, you've got cards and powers and little bit of dice. You've got combat. But there's sooooo much interaction. Lots of actions can be meddled with in some way, by opposing stuff with your own leaders. Bluffing and double bluffing. You can wreck your opponents production by trying to get units in that system. You can capture ( even permanently! - Lure of the Darkside ) their workers.

I also like how the empire can build and use the Death Star, but they can't risk going crazy with it, they have to try and be precise, otherwise the Rebels may be able to Inspire Sympathy and win out of nowhere.

Oh boy does this look good!

I actually like it better than most worker placement games. Those are typically non-confrontational. Sure, it may be a race to the key element on the board, or blocking a placement to hinder someone, but the tactics for those games tend to be pretty light, and often come down to simple math. Move A gets me 2x, move B makes it so opponent loses 3x, Move C gets me 2x and the opponent loses 2x. Most of them are simple games of efficiency forecasting.

The depth of this game seems to surpass a worker placement system because your workers have so many more options. Do mission, save for movement, save for countering. Each has risk, and the benefits can not be clearly calculated due to the amount of hidden info.

While it would be cool to have the entire supply of rebel leaders in any given game, you have to consider a couple factors. Limiting leaders makes the game more controllable (how many things can happen in a turn). Too many leaders and you don't have to make the hard choices. You could complete all of the missions you want, and still have plenty of left overs for countering all missions and making all the military moves you want. You could essentially have leftovers that serve no purpose and aren't used. Limiting the leaders makes sure you have to use each one effectively, and if you ever have a leftover that didn't get used, you should be kicking yourself.

Beyond that, the system also increases replayability. You have to make a choice, and make the right one for your scenario. Next game, the timing, or alternative choices may be different and drive you to a different choice, a different leader, and bonuses for different missions.

I also hope that not all the missions will be available in a single playthrough. It would keep you guessing. He captured that leader, but can he turn him to the darkside? Does he have that card, is he guaranteed to have that card? Can I risk not saving him this turn?

I want to play this game so bad.

Lure of the Darkside is so nasty! With Palpatine's 3 diplomacy and +2 successes, the rebels will have a hard time opposing this.

But one thing to remember about the capture missions is that you have to attempt against a leader and then they still can send a leader to oppose so they could potentially oppose with 2 leaders.

Homing Beacon is also really cool but since the imperials dont start with a 3 intel character, this mission is trickier to pull off.

The production queue is really unique (and something from the PC game) and is pretty cool, although i would have preferred a little bit more flexibility than "you can only be a tier 2 unit with this symbol".

I think I did misread homing beacon then. I was thinking it was a rebel mission card but as an Empire mission that's really good.

The production queue is really unique (and something from the PC game) and is pretty cool, although i would have preferred a little bit more flexibility than "you can only be a tier 2 unit with this symbol".

Yeah, I thought that was a little odd. You can ONLY build a corvette, and it will take 2 turns. What if I'd prefer an X-wing in 1 turn, or even 2 turns? Nope, not gonna happen. Minor squabble though, and likely done for simplicity as it would open up a whole bunch of new arguments.

I think I did misread homing beacon then. I was thinking it was a rebel mission card but as an Empire mission that's really good.

The more I think about that card, the more I realize how dynamic it's going to be.

If the Empire succeeds, they know which area of planets the base is in. Both sides know this. How many planets are in Empire control? How many planets does the Empire know about due to probes? How close are Imperial forces. Do the Rebels panic and move now, or lure the Imps in and move to a new base hopefully on the other side of the galaxy?

The depth is crazy!

I am trying to be open-minded and always aware of the new products from other gaming companies, but FFG has really revolutionized the Board and Miniature game industry.

There are still a few gems from other companies ... but the quality level and production pace of FFG is just outstanding.

Forbidden Stars, Warhammer Quest, Game of Thrones 2nd edition, all top notch new games just for last year - on top of very well designed expansions for games like X-wing or Armada, offering a broader competitive meta instead of screwing it.

And I am starting to feel confident that Rebellion may look like a game I have been dreaming of, since I attempted tuning TI3 to the star wars universe years ago, or wished for a little more streamlined War of the Rings.

I think their capture example is in error because there is no imperial unit in the system.

Im sure there are non-basic missions where capturing is easier, but capturing a rebel leader with "Capture Rebel Operative" will be pretty tricky since there is no guarantee that the rebels will have a leader where there is also an imperial unit.

But then again, just seeing Vader or Fett on a mission might prevent the rebel player from doing anything where there is an imperial unit. The mind games are real.

No guarantee true, but the mission decks are not mirrored. If the rebel mission deck is built around subterfuge, then it becomes more likely.

Sabotage is always an option for the rebels, and I'm guessing more missions will require the leaders to be deep in occupied territory. The key will be predicting when and who. If the Rebel play 3 or more missions in a single turn, it is probably worth the risk to attempt a kidnapping.

It would be odd for so much of the Imperial deck to be focused on rebel captives (at least 5 cards so far) and capture rebel operative being a base card for the Imps if the Rebels don't have an incentive to be in those positions.

We have seen a couple rebel missions like that, Stolen Plans and Hit and Run. It is also possible to initiate a battle in order to draw out a leader.

It is a pretty interesting mechanic regardless.

If I am remembering correctly, the objectives decks are not purely random, but stacked in 3 tiers which are themselves randomized, meaning that certain missions will only be available late game.

The production system also gives the game more "geography" as the systems' production capabilities are not fungible.

The production queue is really unique (and something from the PC game) and is pretty cool, although i would have preferred a little bit more flexibility than "you can only be a tier 2 unit with this symbol".

Yeah, I thought that was a little odd. You can ONLY build a corvette, and it will take 2 turns. What if I'd prefer an X-wing in 1 turn, or even 2 turns? Nope, not gonna happen. Minor squabble though, and likely done for simplicity as it would open up a whole bunch of new arguments.

One of the things Axis and Allies suffers from among new and inexperienced players is a bit of "analysis paralysis" regarding purchasing new units. It is easy to get bogged down when trying to figure out what new units to buy and if you buy the wrong things the game goes "sideways" on you very quickly. With the choices being limited by the resources/planet gameplay is sped up and you don't get a total noob making crushingly bad choices with his reinforcements.

If I am remembering correctly, the objectives decks are not purely random, but stacked in 3 tiers which are themselves randomized, meaning that certain missions will only be available late game.

The production system also gives the game more "geography" as the systems' production capabilities are not fungible.

The objective deck is different from the mission deck I believe.

The objective deck does have different tiers, but the mission deck is just a deck of all the missions available.

Only the rebels draw from the objective deck, but both the Imps and Rebels have mission decks.

So you have 4 base missions that recycle every round, but you draw 3 a round. The capture mission is something the Imps have every round, so they could draw one of those other powerful missions early and really get an early leg up, or they may never draw them. Adds to the replayability and narrative elements of the game.

The production queue is really unique (and something from the PC game) and is pretty cool, although i would have preferred a little bit more flexibility than "you can only be a tier 2 unit with this symbol".

Yeah, I thought that was a little odd. You can ONLY build a corvette, and it will take 2 turns. What if I'd prefer an X-wing in 1 turn, or even 2 turns? Nope, not gonna happen. Minor squabble though, and likely done for simplicity as it would open up a whole bunch of new arguments.

One of the things Axis and Allies suffers from among new and inexperienced players is a bit of "analysis paralysis" regarding purchasing new units. It is easy to get bogged down when trying to figure out what new units to buy and if you buy the wrong things the game goes "sideways" on you very quickly. With the choices being limited by the resources/planet gameplay is sped up and you don't get a total noob making crushingly bad choices with his reinforcements.

Excellent point! Had not thought about it, but this does streamline this considerably. No thinking about the piles of cash and what I could buy and deploy here or there. Quick and simple. Symbol X builds unit X, move on.

It still would have been nice if there were at least a couple more unit types, that way it isnt simply every 2 turns get a corvette/assault carrier.

Like Forbidden Stars, this game is begging for an expansion right out of the gate.

The production queue is really unique (and something from the PC game) and is pretty cool, although i would have preferred a little bit more flexibility than "you can only be a tier 2 unit with this symbol".

Yeah, I thought that was a little odd. You can ONLY build a corvette, and it will take 2 turns. What if I'd prefer an X-wing in 1 turn, or even 2 turns? Nope, not gonna happen. Minor squabble though, and likely done for simplicity as it would open up a whole bunch of new arguments.

If you'd prefer an X-Wing in 1 turn, then you'll need to control a planet that produces X-Wings in 1 turn. The planet in the example only has a Corvette factory, and the efficiency of that factory is such that it takes two turns. Other planets have starfighter factories, and may have different rates of production (note that the number of turns to produce the units is on the planet, not the unit). It's actually pretty thematic there, too, as that can represent different types and amounts of resources available.

The production queue is really unique (and something from the PC game) and is pretty cool, although i would have preferred a little bit more flexibility than "you can only be a tier 2 unit with this symbol".

Yeah, I thought that was a little odd. You can ONLY build a corvette, and it will take 2 turns. What if I'd prefer an X-wing in 1 turn, or even 2 turns? Nope, not gonna happen. Minor squabble though, and likely done for simplicity as it would open up a whole bunch of new arguments.

If you'd prefer an X-Wing in 1 turn, then you'll need to control a planet that produces X-Wings in 1 turn. The planet in the example only has a Corvette factory, and the efficiency of that factory is such that it takes two turns. Other planets have starfighter factories, and may have different rates of production (note that the number of turns to produce the units is on the planet, not the unit). It's actually pretty thematic there, too, as that can represent different types and amounts of resources available.

You have a point, but most production systems in board games (at least that I've seen), and the Rebellion video game don't limit production like this.

It is very thematic, and realistic honestly, just restrictive in ways we typically don't see in games.

It will force more varied fleets (can't just rush x/y wing combos) and create different matchups each time you play also which is cool.

Yea, this is going to be a blast to play. Love it!

Anyone hoping the Rebels will get an action card that resists the Lure of the Dark Side?

"You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me."

The thing that seems odd to me (not necessarily bad, just odd) is that a planet has a 'speed' at which it produces all units. So, it takes Planet X two turns to produce either a company of Stormtroopers (represented by one unit) or a Star Destroyer? Trying to get my head around that...