Hi there,

I'm fairly new to the game with just a mini-campaign and a couple of skirmish games under my belt.

I read a lot here and elsewhere about the need of having enough activations. I understand this absolutely with the previous rules. But now that one can just pass, is this still as relevant ? What risk do you take by having less activations than your opponent ?

Thanks !!

Getting the last activation and then the first on the next round is powerful, as you can overcommit a figure then draw it back.

It's also powerful to have your best figures go later in round 1 so that they can shoot at the figures your opponent moves up. Having less activations than your opponent ensures they will activate after you in round 1 (assuming they pass).

I generally don't make any list without 6 activations & having 7 is actually a small but real advantage.

6 is about avg for activations these days. 7 is good and 5 close to the minimum

I think it's a bit less about activations than it is about figures on the map to do stuff. You want guys going around doing objectives, contesting terminals and opening doors. A low activation (and therefore figure count) will have you conceding many objectives to your opponent or forcing you to sit your big guys around objectives instead of killing.

I rarely find myself using more than 5. I like centerpiece models in my army, be it Vader, Boba, Sorin, or even a Repulsor Tank, but they always cost me a ton of points. Add on the fact I like elite deployments, and 5 cards becomes the norm. The ability to pass once or twice has saved me more than once. Although I understand the benefits of having more, being able to force your opponent to commit before you do is huge.

Basically, if you're just learning, try different things out. Some people like more, some less. Both have advantages and both fit different playstyles. Finding where you fall is a good way to grow your skills.

In the olden days activation count was absolutely critical. But since the pass rule came out activation counts really don't matter anymore. It can help to have extra because if you have more you can almost guarentee you'll get the last activation, but its only a single activation - usually not enough to make or break the match. After round 1 it really doesn't matter much because everyone will want to go earlier than later to get hits in and remove figures before activations. Some of this depends on the players, lists, and the map involved but I find it to be a non-issue for me.

Figure counts on the other hand, do count for a lot - and that does dove tail somewhat into activation counts. It is because of this that I usually end up with small lists still having at least 5 activations and typically run 6 activations.

Thank you all for your answers. I guess I'll have to try and see