Something else to mention, Tagge is your man for R&D. If you have to cede last action either by assigning a leader to defense or opposing he can still parry Sabotage with his fist by running R&D at your most valuable system.

Basically what I'm saying is that if you want to block sabotage at Corellia, R&D isn't always needed, you just need to get fists in the system. Rule by Fear with Vader also works for example.

The more I've played this game the more I've realized how wrong it is to believe the game is won or lost in the first two rounds. Clever play and card management is just as important in the middle and end games. As more leaders are brought in and more cards drawn it becomes more difficult (but more important) to predict what your opponent is going to do. In the early game it's pretty easy to guess what your opponent is going to do given their limited options.

I wouldn't say its won or lost in the first round or two. I would say you can dig yourself a hole that you can't get out of. Some opening moves are stronger than others.

Its like if I start playing chess and my first 5 moves is just pushing one of my rook pawns forward 1 space.

That's maybe a little true for the empire. If you just strait up don't expand or go for important production systems early it can significantly hurt you. But that takes an absurd level of bad strategy to not try and do your job in the beginning couple of turns. And it's something the rebels don't really have a significant ability to stop you from doing in the first few turns. So it feels fine.

The rebels can always come back from a bad start. This is because their best missions are later in the game. As long as the rebels are attempting Build Alliance every turn (which they never had a reason not to attempt.) they have a chance.

So while there are one or two things that are obvious strategies for the most part the game is wide open for different opening moves and tactics. Yes even for the empire.

Glad to see this post is still useful. With the new expansion, we might have more to talk about.

I just had a game where as a rebel I removed two subjugation from the Empire the first turn. Empire had Saleucemi and Mygeeto subjugated, and my main starting fleet started in Ord Mantel and attacked from there, wiping imperial ground units, while I had set up the base in Toydaria and attacked Saleucemi from there after the empire predictably moved from there to Mon Calamari, leaving only one stormtrooper behind, unable to resist the lure of the blue square....

I moved the base on turn three or four, and moved it again in that game, and ended up winning. This was a Death Star in construction set-up and it forces the Empire to over-extend, and I believe that using your base to launch early attacks is a great opening move for rebels, as long as you properly follow-up with a relocation