Hello ! I'm thinking about getting this game but i need some help here.. first :

- is it possible to play alone ? ( heard something about app )

- is it hard to play it?
- is the game worth it ?
- what is the best expansion ? ( i'm thinking on getting the twin shadows and bespin gambit since they are cheaper , if i get the game )
- best ally / villain pack ? ( i'm tempted to get Dengar, Bossk , Boba Fett , Luke Knight and Han Solo first , if i get the game with the expansions )
- can we expect death star in the future as long as tarkin, emperor palpatine or even thrawn ? or maybe rogue one / episode vii characters?

Sorry if its stupid questions im big star wars fan i always was interested in this game , but its still money and im afraid of spending it wrongly

The app is just speculation at the moment. FFG said they would do one for the game like they did for descent, but it hasn't happened yet (I'm sure it will take awhile to finalize, so this doesn't mean it isn't coming) and there's always licensing questions where Star Wars is concerned. So there's no solo play at the moment.

As to your other questions, the game is really two games: skirmish (1 v 1 battles) and campaign. Which are you interested in playing?

And welcome! The game is fantastic!

-ryanjamal

Hello ! I'm thinking about getting this game but i need some help here.. first :

- is it possible to play alone ? ( heard something about app )

- is it hard to play it?

- is the game worth it ?

- what is the best expansion ? ( i'm thinking on getting the twin shadows and bespin gambit since they are cheaper , if i get the game )

- best ally / villain pack ? ( i'm tempted to get Dengar, Bossk , Boba Fett , Luke Knight and Han Solo first , if i get the game with the expansions )

- can we expect death star in the future as long as tarkin, emperor palpatine or even thrawn ? or maybe rogue one / episode vii characters?

Sorry if its stupid questions im big star wars fan i always was interested in this game , but its still money and im afraid of spending it wrongly

-The App is not out yet, haven't heard anything of it since Gencon

-It's easy to learn, difficult to master. The campaigns in the earlier expansions can be a challenge for the rebels, and any of them before Jabba's can have a snowballing issue if one side gets a few wins early, but overall it's includes hugely fun cooperative and competitive experiences, depending if you want to okay campaign skirmish or both.

-Yes. The core set contains about 30 hours of cooperative campaign gameplay and more than enough to get started in skirmish for Rebel or Empire. Both modes are a lot of fun and offer quite different tactical experiences.

-I recommend avoiding Twin Shadows, as it is largely a disappointment. The campaign is short and lackluster and it doesn't offer anything good for skirmish. Bespin is another short campaign but it's a much better one than TS, and it includes some good skirmish figures. The best expansion is certainly Jabba's Realm. I'd recommend that first and Bespin or Return to Hoth next if you're after campaign, but if you're primary interest is skirmish it's more complicated. Jabba's brings a lot of good stuff for the mercenary faction, while Bespin and Hoth bring more for Rebels and Empire.

-difficult to say what the best blister packs are, that's primarily a skirmish question and depends on which faction you prefer. Of those you listed, Bossk is the most powerful figure. I recommend skipping Dengar and Han altogether, honestly, especially if you're on a budget. They are simply far too overcosted. Boba and Knight Luke are better but still a little weak for cost. the best blisters are with the new wave. Captain Terro is incredible, and Jabba will be in a lot of Mercenary lists. In general, though, the blister packs are for skirmish and rarely include many good cards for campaign, but if you want to play skirmish you'll want to buy most of them.

-I'd definitely expect some of those, but we cab never be certain what they're cooking up. Currently, after the recent releases, everything that is announced is available, so I'd keep my eyes peeled. New announcements often come shortly after the previous product drop. The prevailing expectation is a small wave of just blisters followed by an Endor themed boxed expansion, but we won't know until they show us.

Hope this helped!

1) Check out RedJak's automated emperor app on BGG for solo play/fully cooperative play:

https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/111869/redjaks-automated-emperor-variant

2) Skirmish is very easy to grasp. Campaign basics are easy to grasp as well but there's lots of little interactions/small rules that are often missed. Make sure to read the RRG over and over again. Check the FAQ. Check these forums.

3) Jabba's Realm is easily my favourite expansion thus far and I just opened the thing. But if I had to pick between the mini-campaign expansions thus far, I'd go with Twin Shadows.

4) Best ally/villain pack is difficult to answer. They are all good expansions. If I had to skip one it would have been Weiss.

5) I'm pretty sure we will be seeing some Rogue one stuff

- is it possible to play alone ? ( heard something about app )

FFG announced it at gencon but there's no exact release date. Redjak's stuff (fan-made AI) are pretty good, as posted above

- is it hard to play it?

rules are fairly straight-forward, I've taught this game many, many times to new players and they all get the grasp of it within 10~15min or so

fiddly rules are rare but can be tricky to stomp out, and it'd be helpful to ask on forums, ex. "perform a move" vs. "move" vs. "gain movement points", these mostly occur in command cards/character abilities in skirmish mode

- is the game worth it ?

Totally!!

- what is the best expansion ? ( i'm thinking on getting the twin shadows and bespin gambit since they are cheaper , if i get the game )

Campaign play? I'd recommend Jabba/Hoth (#1 or #2), then Twin Shadows, leave Bespin last since I've heard it's the most imbalanced campaign

Skirmish? Jabba/Hoth then figure packs, depending on which faction you want to play (Imperial/Mercenary/Rebels)

- best ally / villain pack ? ( i'm tempted to get Dengar, Bossk , Boba Fett , Luke Knight and Han Solo first , if i get the game with the expansions )

Here's a great website for those info. Boba's currently OOP though so his price is pretty ugly, but it'll drop soon since FFG's already reprinting him

- can we expect death star in the future as long as tarkin, emperor palpatine or even thrawn ? or maybe rogue one / episode vii characters?

Death star? Maybe. General Tarkin or Palpy? Highly unlikely: what role would they fit? what ability would they have? Also FFG tend to create their own characters (ex. "General Weiss", "General Sorin", "Captain Terro")

Hum well thank's for the answers guys my problem with the expansions is that i see that some cards come in the expansion boxes and not with the characters pack themselves

i'm looking for both modes .. and i see tarkin or palpatine as tatical characters but yeah probably expecting something too high

You get the cards in the expansions as well, they just give you them in the box sets along with tokens so you can play with those without having to buy the expansion if you so wished

I know some of these have been answered, but just for a second opinion-

1) There's a solo variant, but it is a little bit of an overhaul. Personally, I'd wait for the app.

2) The game is deceptively simple to learn, but difficult to master. That's a good combination, in my opinion.

3) Worth it? Well, you're spending roughly 160+ dollars on just the core box and its figure packs (Wave 1 is the most expensive). What that gets you is a highly replayable campaign, addicting and competitive skirmish, and models that are a blast to paint. I think that's wort the price of two and a half video games, but I guess it's up to you.

4) Honestly, I'd start with Twin Shadows or Jabba's Realm- JR looks the most interesting, but I'm a completionist, and would prefer to just go chronologically.

5) There's no need to get the ally/villain packs- but again, I'm a completionist, so I got them all. For the core campaign, you might want Weiss and Han. You also might want to get the Rebel Troopers and Royal Guard Champ. Again, though it's not necessary to get them all, I'd certainly suggest it.

6) Take a look at Wave 7. We got Obi Wan and Greedo, which are interesting in that they shouldn't be alive in any current campaign (barring, perhaps, Jabba's Realm, which apparently is a little more ambiguous about its timeframe. We also, interestingly, got the Grand Inquisitor- so clearly we're open to getting characters from Rebels. That makes Rogue One a possibility, too. Many people are expecting a similar wave with Yoda, Palpatine, and a merc character (perhaps Xixior) some time in the future. Palpatine seems likely, even though he's not really a "front lines" character. Not so sure about Tarkin or Thrawn- I mean, the more content the better, but they seem better suited to Armada. Each box wave already has its Imperial Officers (Weiss, Kayn, Sorin, Terro), which is why "named" Imperial characters typically end up being Mercs and bounty hunters.

^thanks for your opinion like u if i start the collection and enjoy it i probably will want all of them , though i dont know how to paint it ( i have to find someone that has that ability where i live )

yeah i said that characters because they are some of my favourite ones and i would like to have them has collector . yeah peopl talk about JR so i dont know if i get the TS + BG or i get JR first..

probably yeah i'll have to wait for the app since i dont know anyone else wanting to play this with me

Answering from my perspective. (The more the merrier.)

1a. Campaign: I have played missions 'two-handed' solo, but it is quite exhausting. There's also Redjak's solo variants (see boardgamegeek.com ). I also play Play by Forum campaigns in boardgamegeek to get my full fix of Imperial Assault. It is slowly becoming feasible to also play campaigns online using the Vassal IA Campaign module, although it was originally for PBF. Some groups that have dispersed have used it to finish their campaigns. (See my signature.)

1b. Skirmish: You can play online using the Vassal IA Skirmish module. (See thereisnotry's signature.)

2. The basics are simple, but there are a lot of nuances and rules interactions. When starting, rules mistakes are almost inevitable, so don't sweat it. Play and correct mistakes for the next play. Use the great resources people have setup up, and see the Imperial Assault forums on boardgamegeek.com . I think it's a pretty friendly place with quick answers, although you need to use Google to find anything there (unless you are searching for something you have written yourself and thus know exactly what to search for).

3. The core box contains a campaign of 11-14 missions, each 60-180 minutes. The core box has 30+ missions, 6 heroes and 3 class decks, and is thus quite replayable (leaving the details of why to another time), so easily 2-3 campaigns worth of material without introducing any expansions. So, 50-100 hours of use from the campaign game alone.

4 & 5. The best expansions depend on what you find out by playing with the material in the core box. Get it and play first, then you know the questions you need to ask. (Generally the big-box expansions are best for campaign and skirmish, but for skirmish you may want some specific figure packs to get cards and figures. You need the figures if you want to play in skirmish tournaments.)

6. We can expect a lot of things, but FFG doesn't announce before they are ready to announce. The schedule seems to be about one wave of reinforcement figure packs and one boxed expansion per year.

^thanks for your opinion like u if i start the collection and enjoy it i probably will want all of them , though i dont know how to paint it ( i have to find someone that has that ability where i live )

Don't be afraid of it and doubt your own abilities, painting is not rocket science. As long as you have a bit of spare time, with moderate tools you will teach yourself in no time to make very passable tabletop-quality miniatures.

The main issue for me has been that my own requirements / goals increase for each wave in sync with the new techniques I learn (wash, drybrushing, highlighting, shading, basing).

As far as the app goes without digging up the interview links (we almost need a sticky lol) FFG has said in the past the short answer is; yes they are working on it. But it isn't expected to be out any time soon. We have no idea how long it took them to develop RTL for Descent or MOM 2nd Ed.. but I imagine it wasn't over night. The good news is that the framework exists though from these two apps and they are both very, very popular. Descent at my LGS has seen a huge revival and if you visit the forums it is packed with people talking about buying everything just to use the app. MoM 2nd Ed. sold out every where on its first print, I don't think FFG anticipated that popularity. This equates to big time dollars and when there is money to be made Mickey is always on board so the issue of 'rights' that people keep bringing up (everyone but FFG that is) does not bother nor scare me one bit.

I would GUESS that the app will be out late this year (2017). They still have to do an Endor box and who knows what else they have up their sleeves. But right now it seems the game is very popular (and growing) so there is no NEED for them to rock the boat with an app. For Descent and MoM it was a necessity to revive a dying game and reboot another. So until we see them running out of OT material I don't expect the app to be out. I would expect following the same pattern as past years we will see a figure pack wave, then in the summer an Endor box.. and then the following late fall/winter could be prime app time.

As far as the app goes without digging up the interview links (we almost need a sticky lol) FFG has said in the past the short answer is; yes they are working on it. But it isn't expected to be out any time soon.

Below is a link to the latest (apart from this) thread about the app, includes the two videos talking about the "working on it".

https://boardgamegeek.com/article/24633875#24633875

The videos are also in the app thread in this forum somewhere.

^thanks for your opinion like u if i start the collection and enjoy it i probably will want all of them , though i dont know how to paint it ( i have to find someone that has that ability where i live )

Don't be afraid of it and doubt your own abilities, painting is not rocket science. As long as you have a bit of spare time, with moderate tools you will teach yourself in no time to make very passable tabletop-quality miniatures.

The main issue for me has been that my own requirements / goals increase for each wave in sync with the new techniques I learn (wash, drybrushing, highlighting, shading, basing).

Agreed- pain when you're ready, OP, but don't worry about being intimidated. I was a newbie, too, and painted all 7 waves just a few months ago. It was a ton of fun, and they turned out far better than I expected them to.

^thanks for your opinion like u if i start the collection and enjoy it i probably will want all of them , though i dont know how to paint it ( i have to find someone that has that ability where i live )

Do NOT be scared or intimidated to paint, we have one of the best resources on the internet in regards to miniature painting, Sorastro.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/133635-sorastros-painting/

https://www.youtube.com/user/Sorastro

He actually does this for a living now through his patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Sorastros

His videos are second to none and on top of that he is a great guy who is very interactive on this forum and through his patreon. Highly recommend his videos, he has helped myself and MANY others on this board go from where you are right now to producing great table top quality paint jobs.

I will say go ahead and pick it up, as it is a great game and my group has really enjoyed both the campaign and skirmish aspects.

However, if the price tag has you a little leery, check if your FLGS has a demo copy. If they do, I'm sure they'd be happy to show you the components/mechanics before you make your decision. Chances are if they don't, they know of someone with their own collection that'd be able to come in and do so.

As far as painting goes, I was a little unsure at first too, and practicing basics on cheap army men from the dollar store helped a lot.

Happy gaming/painting!

^thanks for your opinion like u if i start the collection and enjoy it i probably will want all of them , though i dont know how to paint it ( i have to find someone that has that ability where i live )

Do NOT be scared or intimidated to paint, we have one of the best resources on the internet in regards to miniature painting, Sorastro.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/133635-sorastros-painting/

https://www.youtube.com/user/Sorastro

He actually does this for a living now through his patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Sorastros

His videos are second to none and on top of that he is a great guy who is very interactive on this forum and through his patreon. Highly recommend his videos, he has helped myself and MANY others on this board go from where you are right now to producing great table top quality paint jobs.

I was new to painting before I picked up this game, but Sorastro's tutorials are really great. I followed the first 10 or so pretty religiously. Once I got more used to the techniques, I became more experimental. But I still watch them for fun. They're that good.

Do you use his exact Citadel paints, or do you just wing it with what you have? I'm also thinking of diving into painting, but it's too expensive for me to pick up all the paint types Sorastro uses. So I was wondering if there was a cheaper but still quality alternative.

-ryanjamal

I do use the Citadel paints, but I believe he now has a Vallejo conversion chart and even prefers a few of their paints for certain details. I think Vallejo is slightly cheaper than Citadel?

If you watch the video he usually has a few paints or details that are optional, so you can save money that way.

It is not a cheap hobby, but neither is fishing, or snow boarding.. etc.. but like any hobby the deeper you get the less upfront expensive it is and just more maintenance buying a new brush or a few new paints here and there. I followed his order up until the Trandoshans, then I branched off and just started picking off the figures that required the least amount of paints for me to buy each time.

^thanks for your opinion like u if i start the collection and enjoy it i probably will want all of them , though i dont know how to paint it ( i have to find someone that has that ability where i live )

Do NOT be scared or intimidated to paint, we have one of the best resources on the internet in regards to miniature painting, Sorastro.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/133635-sorastros-painting/

https://www.youtube.com/user/Sorastro

He actually does this for a living now through his patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Sorastros

His videos are second to none and on top of that he is a great guy who is very interactive on this forum and through his patreon. Highly recommend his videos, he has helped myself and MANY others on this board go from where you are right now to producing great table top quality paint jobs.

yeah but i never painted a figure in my life and i dont know if i dont like the painting i did if i can make it up again... beside i dont have the materials nor the sources to the paint but i will see this guy works.. he looks good to bad he cant paint mines

I will say go ahead and pick it up, as it is a great game and my group has really enjoyed both the campaign and skirmish aspects.

However, if the price tag has you a little leery, check if your FLGS has a demo copy. If they do, I'm sure they'd be happy to show you the components/mechanics before you make your decision. Chances are if they don't, they know of someone with their own collection that'd be able to come in and do so.

As far as painting goes, I was a little unsure at first too, and practicing basics on cheap army men from the dollar store helped a lot.

Happy gaming/painting!

hum actually i know people from my storage played this but i think they stopped playing it . about the money i have ruffly money for the original , one expansion and 2 or 3 ally / villain packs

thanks for the help though

hum actually i know people from my storage played this but i think they stopped playing it . about the money i have ruffly money for the original , one expansion and 2 or 3 ally / villain packs

I had never touched a mini before in my life before starting painting IA either. You learn on the Stormies, which there are lots of and worst case are replaceable.

I will say this though pretty much any paint job looks better than the dull grey.

Do you use his exact Citadel paints, or do you just wing it with what you have? I'm also thinking of diving into painting, but it's too expensive for me to pick up all the paint types Sorastro uses. So I was wondering if there was a cheaper but still quality alternative.

-ryanjamal

I used acryllic paints. You can get them for like 50 cents a bottle at Wal Mart, and the bottles are much larger than what you get with Citadel. I'm sure they're not as high quality, but if you're not pro it shouldn't matter much

Do you use his exact Citadel paints, or do you just wing it with what you have? I'm also thinking of diving into painting, but it's too expensive for me to pick up all the paint types Sorastro uses. So I was wondering if there was a cheaper but still quality alternative.

-ryanjamal

The full set of citadels is quite expensive, so I started with some very basic colors: white (stormies!), a flesh tone (Kislev Flesh, I think), Mournfang brown, yellow, and dark blue, plus nuln oil to shade. I also have red, black, and silver valejos, haven't really noticed any difference between them and the citadels (beyond paint tube vs. paint pot). I was able to do most of the core set figures using just those colors following Sorastro (Stormies, royal guards, probes, Chewy, Han, etc.), and then eventually began mixing them together to get some of the other tones I needed once I felt like I had enough reps (Imp Officers, AT-ST, Trandos, heroes). I've used that method for all the expansion box figures, plus most of the figure packs (there were a few I ended up not collecting), with basically the same paint colors. If you do go that route, I'd go with deeper, darker primary color tones (Red, Yellow, Blue) over bright ones, as I found it much easier to brighten with white than to darken with... whatever color you darken with to avoid "mud".

The only thing I wish I'd had that I didn't was a brown wash (like Agrax Earthshade), but I'm very happy with how it's turned out all things considered. The key is that the paint job really only has to be "good enough" for tabletop gaming, which is a very forgiving standard. If I look really closely, I can tell which figures I painted early-on and which ones came later, but while we're playing, there's no difference.

This is what I have used. Cheap but complete. First time painting minis for me, started in September, done with the Core Set now.

https://www.amazon.com/Army-Painter-Mega-Paint-Set/dp/B00HC9YNZU/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483558268&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Army+Painter%3A+Mega+Paint+Set+II+Multi-Colored