I have a group of friends i play the campaign with but occasionally play skirmish but im the only one with the stuff and i have every for the game that has been released so far. I want to try setting up 4 player skirmish from hoth set but getting together 4 command decks that are fair would be difficullt it is easier for 2 player i just use practice skirmish template and change some of them if needed. Would it still be fun to play 4 player skirmish with out command cards or even 2 player skirmish? Has anyone tried it before?

I've tried removing the command deck when teaching a friend of mine's 8ish year old son the game. No skirmish cards removes a large portion of the game, but it's still a decent experience.

I know this sounds illegal, but scan them and print copies ( for home use only! )

Skirmish without command cards gets stale *fast*.

Command decks are half of list building.

It is a great way to start or teach the game, but after a game or two without the Command Cards, I think you'll really appreciate them once you add them. Even if the decks aren't optimized, I think it's still worth it to at least give everyone a deck of them.

Thanks for feed back yeah i can print and proxy main cards. Keep those decks together for other people playing . I kind of thought it would take to much away from game wasnt sure though.

You could try a common command deck. Everyone draws from the same deck, but when they draw they also have the option of discarding a card to draw another one (or take one from the discard pile if you want to be really hardcore (played cards are removed from the game so can't be recycled (You could make a special rule for Leia if you want allowing her to do it))).

Try and build the deck so that it doesn't have highly specific cards in it, or just give everyone their choice of a unique card for one of their deployments that they start with. Sure it means some cards will be guaranteed, but you still have to choose the most appropriate time to use it.

I personally feel that the command cards are a huge reason why skirmish is so fun. Wish we could customize the mission deck for tournaments too.

I know this sounds illegal, but scan them and print copies ( for home use only! )

I wouldn't call that illegal unless you're playing in a tournament. It's probably what me and my gaming group would do to get around the lack of command cards. We already kinda do that with some elite/regular deployment cards (aka I'm not going to buy 4 core sets just to try out a 4x4 squad)

The 11/12-year-old kids at my school wargaming group positively refuse to use the command card decks. They have a blast. I can't get the games cupboard door open quickly enough for them. They are quite revolted by the idea that, having already gone through the business of selecting 40 points of deployment cards, they should then have to sit down like a load of Maths geeks working up a set of exactly 15 command cards which is simultaneously tailored to their deployment cards and worth no more than 15 points.

I can't say I really blame them. The more I think about it, the whole command card kerfuffle sounds not wholly unlike introducing a layer of geometry into the act of lovemaking.

I can hear where you're coming from. The game is fully complete and enjoyable without the command cards, as those kids have discovered. And if they don't want the added hassle of building a deck then they absolutely don't need to do it.

But I would imagine that, after they've started to understand the more subtle nuances of squad building and tactics that the game has to offer, they'll be more open to including the command cards. Of course, that's assuming they are interested in exploring the game to the fullest, rather than playing in a more casual way. Both ways are completely legit and fun in themselves.