Okay, so my 8 year old son is a HUUUUUUUUUGE Star Wars fan, and this game looks amazing.

So the question is...is there a reasonable expectation that I could play this with him?

Or is it too complicated?

Is he good with games? What other board games does he play? It's very strategic, so rules wise I think he could do it, but I'm not sure if an 8 year old could comprehend the strategy aspect of it.

Well, the games he's played certainly are less complicated...He can play X-Wing and Armada as long as you don't use cards (or I help him with them...this card allows you to do this...that card allows you to do that).

But otherwise it's Ticket to Ride, Rampage, Wrath of Ashardalon, and Survive!

Also Chess (though obviously not all the tactics and strategies of it).

I would put this game in the same league as games such as Twilight Imperium and Axis & Allies. If you think those games are too complicated for him, he might have a hard time grasping some of the basic mechanics that make Rebellion work.

Also, the cards are crucial to this game and there are several different types of cards that can/need to be played during almost every phase of this game. If he doesn't like reading cards (since he doesn't when he plays Armada), this might not be the game for him at this time.

This is a complicated game. I have yet to meet an 8 year old who could or would even want to play this game. I think a book savvy 12 year old is about as young as you could go.

Might I suggest Star Wars Risk. Simpler and very fun game!

The entire game is very card based since you're performing the missions with leaders and having to decide where to best use them. I'd probably hold off for a bit with him.

And the new Star Wars Risk really is a fun game!

Zogwort, you'd really put Twilight Imperium and Axis & Allies in the same league in terms of complication?

The entire game is very card based since you're performing the missions with leaders and having to decide where to best use them. I'd probably hold off for a bit with him.

And the new Star Wars Risk really is a fun game!

Zogwort, you'd really put Twilight Imperium and Axis & Allies in the same league in terms of complication?

The entire game is very card based since you're performing the missions with leaders and having to decide where to best use them. I'd probably hold off for a bit with him.

And the new Star Wars Risk really is a fun game!

Zogwort, you'd really put Twilight Imperium and Axis & Allies in the same league in terms of complication?

I would put Rebellion as being more complicated than Axis & Allies but simpler than TI3. After playing a few games over the weekend my inpression is that Rebellion is a great TI3 substitute if you don't have the time or number of players to play TI3.

The entire game is very card based since you're performing the missions with leaders and having to decide where to best use them. I'd probably hold off for a bit with him.

And the new Star Wars Risk really is a fun game!

Zogwort, you'd really put Twilight Imperium and Axis & Allies in the same league in terms of complication?

The entire game is very card based since you're performing the missions with leaders and having to decide where to best use them. I'd probably hold off for a bit with him.

And the new Star Wars Risk really is a fun game!

Zogwort, you'd really put Twilight Imperium and Axis & Allies in the same league in terms of complication?

I would put Rebellion as being more complicated than Axis & Allies but simpler than TI3. After playing a few games over the weekend my inpression is that Rebellion is a great TI3 substitute if you don't have the time or number of players to play TI3.

That's how I would rank them in terms of being complicated as well.

I think an 8 year old could play, but he would have trouble grasping the strategy and might struggle with reading everything.

The entire game revolves around reading cards and allocating resources (leaders in your pool with distinct strengths and weaknesses) to those cards to accomplish goals while saving resources to manage your units and stop the opposition.

An 8 year old would likely be OK managing each micro decision on its own, but would struggle to put everything together.

Meanwhile a 6 year old will take both your Super Star Destroyers, Wave them around the board haphazardly while you try to teach the game, and break your Death Star Under Construction by dropping it. Nope, this totally isn't a real experience I had or anything.

I'd say rowdyoctopus' take is accurate.

A savy 8 year old could execute a mission, maybe even assign them, but wouldn't be able to do so strategically. Same thing with combat, they could fight, but they wouldn't be able to fully understand why they should or should not fight.

I agree with the general consensus here. Card play is at the heart of this game. It's not an inherently complex game as far as rules go, but the possible card combos and strategies of play require good analysis and a strategic bent of mind. I would agree that over all it's simpler than TI3 (certainly shorter, at least in the games I've played) but a bit more complex than Axis and Allies, mainly due to decisions around the best use of your cards each turn.

My 9 year old plays this just fine with minimum help and some random "I would think about that move a bit." He needs to be the Rebels and tentative to attack his fleets, but once he started working on completing objective cards he got a lot better. He completes those objectives just fine. He does play X-wing and can handle the upgrades too. He'll only get better as the strategy begins to make more sense. But if your 8yo can play Ticket to Ride, he can probably do this too. Just make him the Rebels and encourage him to complete objectives.

My 9 year old plays this just fine with minimum help and some random "I would think about that move a bit." He needs to be the Rebels and tentative to attack his fleets, but once he started working on completing objective cards he got a lot better. He completes those objectives just fine. He does play X-wing and can handle the upgrades too. He'll only get better as the strategy begins to make more sense. But if your 8yo can play Ticket to Ride, he can probably do this too. Just make him the Rebels and encourage him to complete objectives.

The above is so good to hear.

Think of the excellent cognitive development that games of this nature can stimulate too!

I'm really pleased for you both.

Each kid can be quite different. Although if you are only playing limited X-wing/armada, I wouldn't hold out much hope for Rebellion. Rebellion doesn't have a ton of complicated rules, but the game is kind of like chess, you need to be planning several moves ahead. If he's only playing the current turn and not planning his next, or anticipating your moves, then it's going to be a very one sided struggle and he's likely going to hate the game (especially with it's length).

I have an 18 year old that is quite good at this game. I have a 10 year old that is competent at it after one play. The 18 year old though would have been worthless at 10. But by 12 he would have been doing pretty good.

You could try training the various concepts of the game by playing other games. Then in a year or so he might be ready to try this out. Any of the Star Wars Risk games would be good. Movement of military units, resolution of combat. Then find some sort of worker placement game. Make sure to point out in both how planning ahead can affect things.

I always like to not only point out great moves during play, but also call back to them after the game. I like to kind of do a brief overview of how the game went, making note of really important moves and things that tipped the balance to one side or the other. It helps them make those critical decisions later on.

I mean please, by all means give it a go. I just think that while a kid around 8 could play, it would be rough for him to piece together the moving parts and actually form a strategy. But maybe that doesn't matter to him and he just wants to play with his dad.

maybe start with a team game, and the two of you work together, give him little jobs to do. then after that set up a one on one.

i played a team game with apprehensive players (based on all the tokens, cards and minis) and they liked performing the duties of admirals or generals

Hi, just to add my two pennies worth, the advice given here is excellent, and as others have alluded to it all depends on the individual young person. I played my first game with my ten year old son and he understood the strategy and tactics fine, he often reminded me of the rules whilst we played. However my son has been gaming a long time, he first played Space Hulk at four, picked up X wing and Magic at 7/8, and has a real aptitude for strategy.

The one thing to avoid is getting them to try a game and it be overwhelming as it could put them off for life, you'll soon know within a few turns. My advice would be go for it, young people can be surprising in how much they grasp. Good luck.

I can't even imagine playing this with my 8 year old daughter. She'd have no trouble reading the cards, but I am not so sure about her sense of strategy. Most importantly though, there is no WAY she would have the patience to sit through a game of this length.

The team game idea is a good one. They can learn the strategies by watching the decisions their partner makes. Just make sure they aren't just watching, but also helping with those choices.

Length of the game is an issue, but not if you break it up. Play 1 or 2 rounds, break and do other things, reconvene later and do another 1 or 2 rounds. Works better if you have a collection of kitchen tables to play games on and don't mind leaving it set up for long periods of time.

If you ever get to the point where the young one wants to go it alone, adjust the gameplay accordingly. Remove action cards from play (1 less set of cards to track), move the end game marker up or down the track a space (gives them a 1 turn advantage). Also, you can play sub-optimal moves. If you are the Empire, don't take the opportunity to set up the 1 round DS build. Don't over assign damage, giving them a chance to block damage and save units. Don't do a full probe rush, so they are more likely able to move the base if needed. Create opportunities for them to take advantage of your less than perfect play. I'm not telling you to throw the game, that's never good, but play wild and loose without much thought to an overarching plan. This should open you up to an occasional mistake.

It's worth mentioning that the rulebook says that this game isn't intended for ages 13 and under.

My two cents, (well 1.537 after exchange) is play them with the "take back rule". I taught my daughter chess this way. If you see him about to make a mistake, tactics or strategy wise, ask them if that is a wise move. Don't tell them not to, just ask them. Give them a second to see if they can see what you are seeing. This does two things. A) lets you gauge how they are doing, (my daughter quickly started seeing things I didn't.... I no longer play chess with her), and 2) it will help with cognitive abilities. If they don't see it, point out what you see. They will then keep an eye out for that, (mimicry and all), but, the way a youths mind leaps, they will start to see other stuff. He may need help tracking everything he has, so, give him all the time he needs on his turns without pressuring him. In the end I think he will love it. Then, when he makes the nationals and worlds you can quietly gloat in the corner.

Edit, sorry if this comes off a bit preachy. Not my intent. I blame the ADHD

It's worth mentioning that the rulebook says that this game isn't intended for ages 13 and under.

These guidelines are mostly malarkey.

If a designer puts 13+ on the game, nothing has to be proven or tested for age appropriateness.

If they try to go below 13 years of age for the recommendation, then they have to comply with a bunch of federal regulations. Testing for toxicity of pieces (lead testing of products), having the game reviewed for chocking hazards, having the game reviewed for adult content (language, violence, theme, etc).

Basically, unless the designer is planning to have the game in Wal-Mart, or aiming specifically at a young demographic, or putting graphic sex/violence in the game, they'll just slap 13+ on the box and call it a day as there is no amount of effort needed to do so.

Anything aimed at children age 12 or younger has to comply with the US CPSC guidelines as it's considered a children's product.

It's worth mentioning that the rulebook says that this game isn't intended for ages 13 and under.

My favorite of this is Game of Thrones Risk. The box says its for players 18 years and older. There is litterally nothing in that game that is age inappropriate for any child old enough to play a vanilla game of Risk.

It's worth mentioning that the rulebook says that this game isn't intended for ages 13 and under.

I asked the shop owner about this when I bought it. He did point out there are legal and liability issues that have to be resolved the younger you make the "intended" age group. So a person may slap 13+ on there when the game can be handled by a younger person, but the laws then require more to make the game happen for safety reasons. As I said earlier, my 9 year old plays the Rebels fine. He struggles with the Empire who I think has to have a more long-term strategy and game plan. The Rebel objectives can often be accomplished in a turn or two catering to his strengths better.

I didn't mean to imply that younger players can't handle it. Some 11 year olds may be better equipped to handle it than some 14 year olds. But since the rulebook's own recommendation hadn't been mentioned, I thought it should be noted so the OP can make a more informed decision. However, as I do not know his child, I am not advocating.