With Rebellion about to hit this week, I thought it would be fun to show just how far Star Wars Board Games have come from its roots

Anyone else remember playing this blast from the past?

Oh my good lord. Koala, I think I despise you. I even seem to remember playing it, but, that may have more to do with the spinner than anything else

Oh man, we had so much fun with that game... until the dogfight. At that point it was like, "yeah, whatever, we won!"

No need to despise me Hersh, unless I inadvertently cause FFG to release an updated version. It's like Star Wars meets Candyland.

I honestly don't remember much of it, except for that silly R2-D2 spinner. Mind you, I was probably 5 or 6 at the time, os, probably wasn't playing it anywhere near right.

I honestly don't remember much of it, except for that silly R2-D2 spinner. Mind you, I was probably 5 or 6 at the time, os, probably wasn't playing it anywhere near right.

I'm right there with you but also pretty sure I wasn't playing this when it released in 77. Maybe 79...

Welp, I was born in '73, so, I'm thinking it was AT LEAST '79 for me as well.

Welp, I was born in '73, so, I'm thinking it was AT LEAST '79 for me as well.

Ditto

I think I still have a copy of this lying around at my grandparents somewhere. Great game.

Wow, Koala, for a 40+ year old Gand you are looking incredibly hale

Wow, Koala, for a 40+ year old Gand you are looking incredibly hale

Good living. Fresh ammonia.

Nice. That actually got a chuckle. Thank you

Did anybody else have this one back in the day?

Did anybody else have this one back in the day?

I still own it

I don't even know what that thing does. Looks like a funky tv remote

Apparently a little pinball shooter. Assume you're trying to hit specific spots kind of like skee ball. But I'm sure I never played it.

Ah, yes....no

I grew up on Escape from the Death Star, Destroy Death Star Game (not sure why it wasn't destroy THE death star game, but it wasn't), and the Hoth Ice Planet adventure game.

Those were truly awful games...but I was too young at the time to understand that.

We break them out from time to time for the younger kids.

Apparently a little pinball shooter. Assume you're trying to hit specific spots kind of like skee ball. But I'm sure I never played it.

It's an X-Wing and those aren't pinballs, they're proton torpedoes.

I grew up on Escape from the Death Star, Destroy Death Star Game (not sure why it wasn't destroy THE death star game, but it wasn't), and the Hoth Ice Planet adventure game.

Those were truly awful games...but I was too young at the time to understand that.

We break them out from time to time for the younger kids.

Yes but keep in mind that the first board game came out in 1977 before the action figures were even available and Kenner found out the movie was a hit in May, which would give them 6 months at most to design, print and distribute to get it out there for the Star Wars hungry populace at Christmastime.

Thankfully Fantasy Flight Games not only has far superior resources and more films and other material to draw from, but they also have the luxury to give a game the development period it needs to ensure quality gameplay for a more discerning consumer.

But ask them to put a board game on shelves in six months for a $10 price point and it will be a very different story.

I'm not saying they should have been masterpieces, just pointing out that they are bad games. Had you given them 5 years of development time back then, the game still would have been junk. Every board game for sale in the U.S. at that time was basically junk. I will give them credit for having creative junk though. They didn't just retheme life, monopoly, risk, etc. They actually made their own roll and move game, and added one or two other little elements.

The games actually had some theme to them (the Hoth one didn't, that game was really sad), and felt like star wars to a degree.

They were certainly better than some other movie tie-in games. The battlestar galactica game we had was pretty bad also.

Totally remember that game. Ah the memories.

Those were the dark times for Star Wars board games. Before FFG...

Those were the dark times for Star Wars board games. Before FFG...