ok so I'm playing through this for the first time and theres something i don't get. If empire can remove a sabotage counter each turn with R&D mission with no check or roll (rules say "resolve" just happens, right?) how is sabotage ever going to be strong? and how is the objective cut supplylines, that says you complete it by having three sab counters in play, ever going to happen?

that indicates I'm doing something wrong.

I mean, were in second turn and empire player has 5 leaders=5 actions and thats only going to get better so obviously hell always be able to cancel one san counter per round for the rest of the game if he wants.

What am i missing?

(please help asap) : )

ah, maybe it does make sense. i keep him occupied. he can move less and search for my base less.

And the Imperial player can't cycle through his project deck... Meaning he may never get his Super Laser Online.

Or the Imperial is not moving.

Or...

Sure, the Imperial is stronger in almost every aspect of the game. But the Imperial player needs to be following his own agenda.

Does the Imperial player want to be answering every Rebel move? Think about it like you are in a police station... Do you want to be the one asking the questions or answering the questions? So far SW:R seems to follow this idea pretty well.

Hope that helps.

R+D also can only be attempted in a system that contains Imperial Loyalty. Subjugated Systems don't count.

ok so I'm playing through this for the first time and theres something i don't get. If empire can remove a sabotage counter each turn with R&D mission with no check or roll (rules say "resolve" just happens, right?) how is sabotage ever going to be strong? and how is the objective cut supplylines, that says you complete it by having three sab counters in play, ever going to happen?

that indicates I'm doing something wrong.

I mean, were in second turn and empire player has 5 leaders=5 actions and thats only going to get better so obviously hell always be able to cancel one san counter per round for the rest of the game if he wants.

What am i missing?

(please help asap) : )

Hi,

not that it helps but I was wondering the same. the imperials almost always play this card. even with when removing the sabotage they still can draw a project card!

I don't see the point for the rebels to invest in sabotage other then locking down an imperial leader and prevent them from moving units around. especially in the starting game it does not seem to add any value. it may even work against the rebels. later in the game you may have more of change to make sabotage succeed.

R+D also can only be attempted in a system that contains Imperial Loyalty. Subjugated Systems don't count.

True but then again sabotage makes no sense to play in a neutral system.

The Rebels can't face off against the Imperials in a toe-to-fight. Firstly, the Imperials outnumber and outgun the Rebels, and secondly there is no victory condition for the Rebels based around all-out combat. Basically, they are guerrilla warfare fighters, making many, small niggling attacks against the Empire in order to keep the Empire from doing the one thing the Rebels don't want them to do: finding the hidden Rebel base.

There are many powerful Project cards for the Empire, and it is often in their interest to get those Project cards into play. If the Rebels are laying out sabotage markers, when the Imperial player plays R&D, he or she has to make a decision: do I cycle through my Project deck and get some of these cool toys in play or do I free up a system's resources by getting rid of a sabotage marker?

If you Sabotage on a turn when a Build actions doesn't come up on the next Refresh phase, he may let it through without opposing, then on the next turn (when there is a Build action) he might forget about it

Also as other's pointed out, if he is using his R&D card to fix Sabotages, he is not going though his project deck nearly as fast and also the leader he sent on it could have been used to do something more useful.

As with what Zogwort said above, you can also use "Contingency Plan" (especially with Lando) you can play a sabotage, return it to your hand and use it again, sabotaging twice potentially. If you have 2 sabotage markers on the board already and the objective "Cut Supply Lines" then boom!! You grab the objective easier. Only with "Construct Factory" project (of which there are two) and "R&D" can the Imperial player stop this.

R+D also can only be attempted in a system that contains Imperial Loyalty. Subjugated Systems don't count.

True but then again sabotage makes no sense to play in a neutral system.

That is not true.

Sabotaging a Subjugated System allows you to cut into Imperial production, and prevent the Empire from reenforcing those Systems with future deployments. If there is a fleet in the system you can keep it to a manageable size for a possible attack. Hidden Fleet next to an enemy fleet within a Sabotaged System with your last action, attack on the next turn to score your Objectives.

If there is no fleet in system, they can't deploy one there to allow to act as another staging area and it leaves possible garrisons vulnerable for all the Rebel Missions and Objectives that require Subjugated Systems.

Furthermore unless they decide to either make the system loyal, abandon it, or happen to have a specefic project card; they can't get rid of the Sabotage marker allowing you to more easily complete that Cut Supply Lines Objective. And if the Empire does any of those 3 things to get rid of the Sabotage marker, they are wasting actions if not multiple action for likely less then ideal production value.

Sabotage is great. You just need to use it correctly.

Things to remember.

You can't build from or to a sabotaged system.

To clear a sabotage, the system must be loyal to the Imps.

So, if you are going for the objective, you focus on subjugated systems, and doing a combo with putting units in Imp systems. (fly and X-wing over to a place with only ground defense).

Focus on systems that produce ground units. The imps have limited ground production, and they have a lot of systems to control, subjugate, and defend. They tend to get stretched thin in the army department...so strategically targeting systems that produce ground units can be debilitating to them late game (seriously, shut down their stormtrooper production through sabotage and taking strategic systems and the Imps are basically helpless).

I don't find R&D to be all that useful, but it does make it harder for them to focus on R&D if they have to keep clearing sabotage markers.

If you have the objective complete, focus on alternating your targets. During a build phase, target Imperial planets with high value targets (double ground system, or a system that will produce a SD plus something else). It's easy for them to clear, but they lost the chance to build those units. If they don't have a double ground system to hit, then hit a subjugated system with a ground unit on the far left. Then on the alternate turn, target front line systems (hopefully subjugated) they want to deploy units to in order to keep searching the systems for your base.

So sabotage can stop the building of crucial units, hinder deployment options for the Imps, stop R&D attempts, use 2 actions to counter (if done in subjugated systems), and be an all around nuisance to the Imps. It's honestly one of the more powerful missions the rebels have.