Hey folks, I am looking to add this game system to my after school gaming club...after X Wing was so popular. I know absolutely nothing about it....nothing besides what I read on the main FFG page.

So, I will be using this game with young lads 14-18....probably upwards to 6 players max. Most have played Xwing, Talisman and similar games, but not IA.

I am looking for tips and advice on keeping the stuff organized and keep the game running smoothly. For instance, am I better off running the campaign to start, or jumping right into skirmish? Is the core set enough to start with, or do you think I need some expansions right off the hop to make the game worthwhile?? Is there enough "stuff" in the core set so that 6 kids can play at one time??? Finally, should I run the Imperial side of things (GM) and let the kidlets play the Rebel strike forces...to keep things moving????

Thanks for all your help

Shaner

There's a sort of intro mission in the Learn to Play book. It's not at all complex, it simply introduces a little playground for players to learn the mechanics of the game- there's some movement, some chests, some doors, some combat. All the good stuff. Do that first.

Then, you should be good to start the campaign. The game really isn't as complicated as it might seem, especially at the beginning when you don't have a ton of abilities or items to take care of.

Some people suggest making yourself a Rebel to help the other Rebels, and appointing the second most capable gamer as the Imperial. I disagree. The campaign can be competitive, but overall it's about the experience- therefore, it should be your responsibility to make sure that you know campaign structure and rules and to enforce, as the Empire, as fluid and fun of a campaign experience as possible. Also, if you feel the need to somehow handicap yourself during the course of the campaign, you can do so.

Core box should be enough, but there are some pretty cool packs out there, and they do add more than just figures- you get missions, items, and rewards/command cards as well. Just make sure you have the right expansions to allow for them. Any expansion works by itself with the core game, but some figure packs require specific expansions.

You say "6 kids can play at the same time". Just for the record, this game supports 4 Rebel players and 1 Imperial. I guess the Imperial role could be spread to multiple players, but that's probably not the best idea.

I guess the Imperial role could be spread to multiple players, but that's probably not the best idea.

I've done this with my group and it's been fun; the Imperials just make decisions together and help each other remember rules and strategize. Why don't you think it's a good idea?

Once the app comes out next year let it run the Imperial player then everyone can play the player characters.

What is your budget?

I only ask as trying to get enough stuff for 6 skirmish forces could cost some serious change.

Without knowing that, I'd agree strongly that campaign is likely the best starting point for your group based on size. With 6 participants, you can easily have 4 students as Rebels and 2 as Imperial. This can leave you as "casual observer" and "rules clarifier". I think this set up would be great as you can give hints to both sides and talk about strategy early and help all of the players grow in skill as it goes along.

Then, if the kids really enjoy the game, you can look into expanding beyond the core set and start picking up more items to build a "Skirmish Pool" of figures for the kids to choose from as they are building forces. You might have to set up a "draft" of groups and Command cards though.

One last suggestion: if the students really end up enjoying the game, invest in some card sleeves. The game will last much longer.

I think the campaign would be a good start. Like said above, one set is enough, while for skirmish you preferably have 1vs1 plays and would need a lot more components for all 6 players.

Be prepared. Start by reading https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/1319188/what-are-some-crazy-or-common-rule-breaking-mistak and if you have time, check out what kind of questions are asked (and answered) in the rules forums.

On the other hand, do not worry too much about making rules mistakes. Check things after each mission and fix errors for the future.

Interpret rules literally and read through the rules reference guide to know when you should refer to them (you do not need to assume what recover, entrance, escape, retrieve, etc. mean, they are all explained). Also get the FAQ and realize that doors are very special objects. (Check the threads here about doors.)

And: The first campaign is a learning campaign.

All good tips...keep them coming!!!

Budget is about $150 Canadian...maybe a wee bit more. Core game is about 120, so I have about another 30 to play with. I may be able to get a bit more down the road, but I don't mind adding a bit of my own cash to the pot.

Cheers

All good tips...keep them coming!!!

Budget is about $150 Canadian...maybe a wee bit more. Core game is about 120, so I have about another 30 to play with. I may be able to get a bit more down the road, but I don't mind adding a bit of my own cash to the pot.

Cheers

With your remaining 30, I'd pick up some figure packs.

Hired Guns is a good one. You also might want some iconic character like Chewie or Han. Then, maybe a villain like Royal Guard Champ.

Or... you can sometimes pick up the expansions on Amazon for a lot cheaper than they're usually priced. When I got my core game it was about 45 USD, today it's 75. TS cost me 30, now it's 45. So yeah, they fluctuate a ton.

You might have to set up a "draft" of groups and Command cards though.

This is one solution, but then you start getting players that complain at the end about not getting the card they wanted.

Playing skirmish using a single player’s collection is… not very good in my opinion.

It’s a shame that the command cards make things so difficult. Especially since expansions only provide enough copies for one deck. I think the core provides enough for 2 duplicate decks, but I found it pretty boring that way.

I suppose you could proxy cards as well, but secrecy is very important, and seeing a proxy card in someone’s hand is a dead giveaway.

You almost have to go tournaments/join clubs with players who are invested in the game to get the most out of the skirmish mode.

TLDR: Ya. Campaign mode is pretty sweet!

Go with Campaign, have one player join you as Empire if there's 6 people. Skip the tutorial mission, it's a waste of time, go straight into Aftermath, it's just as simple as the tutorial but way more fun and closer to what an actual campaign mission plays like. I would recommend giving your players an extra turn to complete the mission if they need it at the end of round 6.

As far as buying figure packs, I recommend just buying the core game first and saving the extra money to see what you feel like you need/want. It would suck if you bought the Han Solo pack right off the back and then his side mission never shows up and your players end up winning Troopers or Chewbacca instead. You might also want to use that money to invest in a dice pack, I've found having two dice pools for both sides of the table speeds up gameplay a lot in larger groups so people aren't constantly looking for the dice they need across/under the table.

One thing to consider is that the Campaign is a pretty significant time investment - you're looking at 10+ sessions of several hours each at a minimum. I'd make sure that you're going to be able to fit it in before going out and buying anything.

I'd suggest some non-unique Imperials or Scum for any extra purchases if you are doing campaign. They can be used in every mission and allow more variety instead of seeing the same opponents all the time. Hired Guns is a great first choice as they are cheap to deploy so you can start using them right away.

If you're going down the campaign path: get the boxed expansions before grabbing any of those small packs. The box expansions offers the best content/$$ ratio possible. So far there's Twin Shadows ($46) Hoth ($70) Bespin ($46) and later probably in late Nov/Dec: Jabba's Realm ($70). The $70 boxes gives more contents than $46 ones, obviously

6 kids+you=7 people is probably not optimal, (un?)fortunately I've never had this problem since I never have > 4 players willing to play at once. The optimal is 5 players.

Start using a timer if Rebel side's discussion is taking forever. 2min to come to a decision should be more than enough time. Cut it down to 60~90sec after they get the hang of the rules

Finally, make it extremely clear to those younglings that it is a long-term commitment and a campaign can easily take up the entire school's semester to finish

The mini-campaigns are a good way to dive in to campaign mode, so that's another reason to get a small box expansion.

-ryanjamal

Core box set

Twin Shadows box set

Han Solo exp pack

Chewbacca exp pack

Boba Fett exp pack

R2-D2 & C-3PO exp pack

In that order Id buy. If you look at Miniature Markets/CoolStuffInc/Amazon, should be able to find all of that for about $150ish.

~D

The mini-campaigns are a good way to dive in to campaign mode, so that's another reason to get a small box expansion.

-ryanjamal

Agreed. A lot of people make the point that the Big Boxes are the best dollar to content ratio, and technically that's true- but also, it's important to note that you're not gonna see a lot of use out of a lot of stuff from them in the core campaign. Aside from the possibility of a few side missions, you're not likely to see any of the snow tiles come up much, since most of the Hoth missions are exclusive to its own campaign. Without snow tiles, you're not gonna see the wampas.

So sure, you'll get snow troopers (kinda weird without snow tiles though) the tank, HKs, and the heroes. Suddenly, the dollar to content ratio seems a little less appealing.

I'm not saying Return to Hoth is bad, by the way. Just that it doesn't integrate completely with the core campaign, which is what most new players will be looking for. Small box expansion campaign missions work simply as side missions in the campaign, so their entire contents can be used in any campaign. I personally prefer Bespin as I find the tiles and heroes unique- but, Twin Shadows allows for the purchase of the Boba Fett pack, which is a draw for many fans.

Yes, I looked at the Hoth expansion. Gotta say, was not impressed with the tank and its rinky-dink scale.

I picked up Boba for myself...just because. I think the Twin Shadows and Bespin expansions will be nifty, but they are super expensive here in Ontario ($60 Cdn). I can find them online; however, I try to support the local store.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus. The store owner thought I should wait on buying expansions to see how the kids like the game (Smart). He thinks that Jabba's Palace expansion will be super. Hopefully he is right!

Thanks for all the help folks. Feel free to keep adding pointers as you think of them.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus.

It can, but you need Twin Shadows. Otherwise, you won't have the tiles to do his mission to acquire him, unless you make some house rule.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus.

It can, but you need Twin Shadows. Otherwise, you won't have the tiles to do his mission to acquire him, unless you make some house rule.

Ahhh...good to know. The website did not say that you had to have the TS expansion. Good pointer.

Ahhh...good to know. The website did not say that you had to have the TS expansion. Good pointer.

Yeah, it can be a little confusing at first.

This site does a pretty good job of explaining things- notice some waves require boxed expansions. Since Fett is in Wave 2, you'd need the Twin Shadows box that it was released alongside. Same goes for Leia and Return to Hoth, for instance, or Lando and The Bespin Gambit. We can also probably assume we'll need Jabba's Palace to get Jedi Luke.

Anything in Wave 3, 4, or 7 are automatically compatible with the core campaign- with the exception of the Bantha Rider, which requires tiles from Twin Shadows for its mission (though, it does not need a mission for acquisition). These are just standalone figure packs that don't really tie in to the campaigns, but can be added for variety. People swear by the Hired Guns, though I'm personally not a huge fan.

Technically the ISB Infiltrators can mostly be used without Bespin too, outside of their mission, since they're not a unique unit- though I doubt they'll be topping anyone's wishlist above all of the other great packs, anyway.

Yes, I looked at the Hoth expansion. Gotta say, was not impressed with the tank and its rinky-dink scale.

I picked up Boba for myself...just because. I think the Twin Shadows and Bespin expansions will be nifty, but they are super expensive here in Ontario ($60 Cdn). I can find them online; however, I try to support the local store.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus. The store owner thought I should wait on buying expansions to see how the kids like the game (Smart). He thinks that Jabba's Palace expansion will be super. Hopefully he is right!

Thanks for all the help folks. Feel free to keep adding pointers as you think of them.

Whoa which store is that? 401 games sells TS/Bespin for 47CAD and Hoth for 70CAD

Also, Boba's side mission does not require Twin Shadows. It's his skirmish map that needs TS tiles

Yes, I looked at the Hoth expansion. Gotta say, was not impressed with the tank and its rinky-dink scale.

I picked up Boba for myself...just because. I think the Twin Shadows and Bespin expansions will be nifty, but they are super expensive here in Ontario ($60 Cdn). I can find them online; however, I try to support the local store.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus. The store owner thought I should wait on buying expansions to see how the kids like the game (Smart). He thinks that Jabba's Palace expansion will be super. Hopefully he is right!

Thanks for all the help folks. Feel free to keep adding pointers as you think of them.

Whoa which store is that? 401 games sells TS/Bespin for 47CAD and Hoth for 70CAD

Also, Boba's side mission does not require Twin Shadows. It's his skirmish map that needs TS tiles

I'm in Belleville and try to shop at my local shop. It's a bit more costly than Meeplemart, but if we can keep our local shops alive, I'll try my best to support them. Sometimes it is tough though!

Yes, I looked at the Hoth expansion. Gotta say, was not impressed with the tank and its rinky-dink scale.

I picked up Boba for myself...just because. I think the Twin Shadows and Bespin expansions will be nifty, but they are super expensive here in Ontario ($60 Cdn). I can find them online; however, I try to support the local store.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus. The store owner thought I should wait on buying expansions to see how the kids like the game (Smart). He thinks that Jabba's Palace expansion will be super. Hopefully he is right!

Thanks for all the help folks. Feel free to keep adding pointers as you think of them.

Whoa which store is that? 401 games sells TS/Bespin for 47CAD and Hoth for 70CAD

Also, Boba's side mission does not require Twin Shadows. It's his skirmish map that needs TS tiles

I'm in Belleville and try to shop at my local shop. It's a bit more costly than Meeplemart, but if we can keep our local shops alive, I'll try my best to support them. Sometimes it is tough though!

Does your store know you are buying games for use in the school?

I only ask as my FLGS provides a discount to teachers and an even deeper discount if the games are purchased using school funds to help out the various after-school clubs devoted to gaming. Might not hurt to ask. Worst case scenario is that they say "no".

Yes, I looked at the Hoth expansion. Gotta say, was not impressed with the tank and its rinky-dink scale.

I picked up Boba for myself...just because. I think the Twin Shadows and Bespin expansions will be nifty, but they are super expensive here in Ontario ($60 Cdn). I can find them online; however, I try to support the local store.

Anywho, I picked up the Core set. My Boba expansion says it can be included with the core campaign, so that's a bonus. The store owner thought I should wait on buying expansions to see how the kids like the game (Smart). He thinks that Jabba's Palace expansion will be super. Hopefully he is right!

Thanks for all the help folks. Feel free to keep adding pointers as you think of them.

Whoa which store is that? 401 games sells TS/Bespin for 47CAD and Hoth for 70CAD

Also, Boba's side mission does not require Twin Shadows. It's his skirmish map that needs TS tiles

I'm in Belleville and try to shop at my local shop. It's a bit more costly than Meeplemart, but if we can keep our local shops alive, I'll try my best to support them. Sometimes it is tough though!

Does your store know you are buying games for use in the school?

I only ask as my FLGS provides a discount to teachers and an even deeper discount if the games are purchased using school funds to help out the various after-school clubs devoted to gaming. Might not hurt to ask. Worst case scenario is that they say "no".

Looking into it right now actually.

Because they are a small store, their cost is quite high. For example, their cost on some items is the same as what Meeplemart sells the same items for online. Crazy.

Thanks though

Also, Boba's side mission does not require Twin Shadows. It's his skirmish map that needs TS tiles

Oh, really? Looks like you lucked out, OP!