I find this game is actually won or lost mostly in the first two rounds. Getting off on the right foot is the difference between disaster and an organized plan. This game moves quicker than most new players realize. There is no time to play catch up.
THE EMPIRE:
How the Empire places its fleet is important. To get the most out of the military advantage the Imperial Navy enjoys, create two strong fleets. (Only leave 1 or 2 ground units on the other three planets.) Put them on opposite sides of the board and pick an initial direction both will begin searching in. For the fleet that is centered around a Death Star, pick its first target and place the battle station in the planet closest to it. (No more than two spaces away. You want to be firing the Super laser by Round 3 or 4.)
The trap that I see most Imperial players fall into is playing defensively in the opening rounds. With only four leaders, the Rebels are only annoying gnats at this stage. Play the opening two rounds as if the Rebels cannot hurt you. You need to accomplish two things: 1) Amass a third search/assault force and 2) Gain valuable projects like Superlaser Online.
In the opening round, grab as many 1 and 2 build queue planets as possible. Devote 2 or 3 leaders to subjecting two planets (possibly one to use diplomacy to change from subjugated to loyal) and 1 leader for Research and Development. Let the Rebels sabotage one of your planets (just don't let them sabotage 3 or more), as it is more important for you to play this card to draw 2 project cards. You need to find 1 of those Superlaser Online projects, then worry about fixing the sabotage.
Following this strategy will accomplish the two goals of this strategy guide. By Round 3 or 4 you should be blowing up a planet and be well on your way with a third fleet at your command. There will be no where for the Rebels to hide!
Rebel Alliance
The most common error I see most Rebel players make is attempting to spar with the Empire on their terms. The Rebels have NO CHANCE of winning this game via military might. You must use espionage and hit and run tactics. The fun (and complicated) part about playing the Rebels is no two games will afford you the same route to victory. Remind yourself that time is on your side and your goal is to prolong the Empire, not win a war.
There are two goals the Rebels should be working on in the first two rounds. (1) Quick build up of an objective based (more on this in a moment) force and (2) gaining the Mission Cards you need to earn victory points. Accomplishing these goals will cause the Rebel marker to move quickly by round 4.
Set up is more complicated for the Rebels as well. If you get a powerful planet like Mon Calamari as one of your starter locations, you'll want to protect it the first two rounds. If you start on three planets that do not produce Ion Cannons, Shield Generators, or Cruisers, then you will want to find a way to gain one before the end of Round 1. Start off small in the Rebel base. 3 troops and an Airspeeder is my go-to starting base force.
Round 1 is VERY important for the Rebels. Gain loyalty in a planet or two (depending on need) to place units in the build queue. These are the units that you will need in Rounds 3 - 5! Infiltration is a must play in Round 1 (and probably 2 unless you gain a better mission card)! You need to get to the better Objective cards quickly! In the first 3 rounds, draw objective cards via missions and bring the ones you feel you can complete in a round or 2 to the top.
By the 3rd round, you should have a clear idea of how to score points and how to hold off the Empire. Ending the game by Round 7 or 8 is a good goal to have. You need to earn 6 or 7 points to achieve this. By round 4, you should be earning a few points a round.
In the first 2 rounds, while half of your leaders are working through your Objective deck, the other half should be gaining loyalty in planets with resources you'll need later in the game. If you're drawing Hit and Run type cards that need troops, concentrate on ground forces. If the Empire spreads itself too thin and you have cards that reward you for destroying ships (or the Death Star) then concentrate on building star fighters.
The final part of playing the Rebels successfully is being good at deception. Lure the Empire away from areas you don't want them to be. Use missions like Sabotage to force them to use leaders to stop you. Create a fleet just to engage the Empire in a meaningless fight. Remember, you don't need to keep planets, you just need them when it's time to build. You don't need to keep a grand army or navy. Their purpose is to complete objectives or to stall the Empire. Remember, many Bothans (and Y-wings, and troopers...) will die in order for you to gain sympathy in the galaxy.
Final Thoughts
Because the Objective, Mission, and Project cards dictate so much of what your later game strategy should be, it is hard to give advice on what a player should be doing in rounds 3 on. This is why the first two rounds are so important! Be sure to do everything you can early on to put your forces in a good position to utilize the cards you gain in these rounds. Rather than leaving it to chance, use the starting cards to help you shift through the decks and find the cards that most compliment the state of the board and your resources.
Edited by Stone37