We're playing through a Jabba's Palace campain and Panic in the Streets came up as the second side mission. It's funny that I read the mission reports from June and they stated that the mission was impossible for Rebels. Now I found the situation to be quite opposite.

The rebels are Shayla, Murne, Onar and Saska. So, not a very strong group initially. But for this mission, they were perfect. The mission doesn't give any starting threat unlike many of the other side missions, there aren't that many groups on the board and the Rebels have abilities that allow Murne to move when another hero takes a move action etc. So, Rebels cut through the units I had on board in 2 turns. Well, except the Probe Droid. Onar had the upgrade that he can do mechanical or foresight test with strength. So, he gets to throw two yellow dies and a blue (I think). He got 6 successes with a roll. So, every citizen in 3 spaces of him, moves 6. That ended up being 3 civilians. That was a huge movement that got most of them waiting by the door. In addition, as the neutral figures do block line of sight, the Rebels used them as a shield to protect themselves from the stormtrooper group I deployed as well as stunning one of them with Murne's Sonic Bellow. They also managed to do their attacks so that there's always someone blocking line of sight to the citizens. So, no citizen seems a rebel attack, no panic for the Imperial player.

By turn 4, the Rebels had moved all except 1 Citizen to the safe room and locked the doors. At this time, I'm able to bring units to the board and the Rebels can't handle them but I have no way to get into the room as it's locked for me. When the Rebels opened the door to bring in the last Citizen, I managed to get Bossk and Probe Droid in. Turn 5 and 6, Rebels fight off Bossk and Probe Droid. Saska is outside with many of my troops and I just kill her. But the Rebels indoors kill Bossk and the Probe Droid. At least, I finally get some Panic though.

So, for this mission it feels like the Rebels had a very good team. Murne can stun, order Imperials to shoot each other (no panic for me if a Trandoshan kills his squadmate), Onar can push friendly and enemy figures and order civilians. Shayla has a whip to potentially pull a pesky Imperial away from the Safe Room. And Saska...well, she's useless.

In the end I think I was a bit too late to get enough threat to deploy. And the Rebels did a terrific job at avoiding giving me panic. I could have used that to move civilians. Anyway, Murne got his annoying Camdroid which I'm sure I'll hate by the end of the campaign.

Shayla, Murn, Onar and Saska are a fairly strong group. Saska is generally a bit weak but the rest are good if you buy the right cards.

You played it at threat level 3, in Bespin it's played at 4, although this may not matter too much.

It gives twice the threat level (8), not none. Added to the fairly high number of units already on the board it allows the Imperials to focus fire and wound out heroes very quickly, slowing them down, making their attributes worse and ultimately losing them the game. It will also make it more likely that they'll be forced to trigger panic. Which is exactly what happened with us, it was a murder fest and the Rebels had no chance.

Onar would have had a lot more trouble pushing people around if between the 8 threat you didn't place, the Wing Guard and the Trandoshans you'd wounded him out on turn 1.

Sounds like a mix of the Rebels being really well organised and having the right tools for the job.

I always roll my eyes a little at stories like these, no offense intended at all.

Everyone comes on here with stories about how the Rebels were stomped with no chance, or the Imperials were slaughtered and never had any possibility of winning.

Each game in Imperial Assault has so many factors that it's impossible to play the same game twice. (why I love it so much really)

Some missions are a little lopsided in balance, sure, but I don't think any of them are unwinnable for either side.

I'm sorry you had a rough time, but hopefully you'll enjoy the next mission a little more.

2 hours ago, Majushi said:

Sounds like a mix of the Rebels being really well organised and having the right tools for the job.

If starting with 8 threat less units counts as "well organised", then sure, lets go with that.

2 minutes ago, Union said:

If starting with 8 threat less units counts as "well organised", then sure, lets go with that.

Alternatively I may have been referring to how they limited the LOS benefits that the Imperial could have been getting...

But as you're always brutally negative about anything to do with Bespin Gambit I would hardly expect you to look past what appears to be a play mistake and see any positives in how the Rebels dealt with this mission...

Okay, so I checked the campaign and Imperial player does indeed get threat twice the threat level at start. Argh! I cant' believe I missed that. It's printed that way to every single side mission in the game! And last week I remember I read the mission briefing three times over as I thought it very weird I didn't get any threat. Though I just skimmed through the reserved groups and open groups and didn't look at that briefing box again so I guess that's why I missed it. Still, a huge mistake. 6 threat in the start could have brought me the spies, stormtroopers at the start or HK-Droids at turn 2. That would have made a huge difference as Murne couldn't have commanded the HK droids to kill others yet and the Rebels couldn't have just ignored them. That would have cost the Rebels a few activations, pushed the fight a round later, Bossk would have appeared...yeah, it would have worked a lot better for me.

So, as it turns out I lost because of my incompetence. And the Rebels did play well. I have to grant them that. I think they played it cleverly using the civilians also as a resource to block line of sight and using Shyla's whip and Onar's push to move figures so that the civilians didn't have line of sight to the attacking Rebels. I think normally that's what it takes as well as many lucky rolls to beat this mission as Rebels.

14 hours ago, Majushi said:

Alternatively I may have been referring to how they limited the LOS benefits that the Imperial could have been getting...

But as you're always brutally negative about anything to do with Bespin Gambit I would hardly expect you to look past what appears to be a play mistake and see any positives in how the Rebels dealt with this mission...

Alternatively maybe, but in reality having less units on the board makes it easier to not trigger panic. But panic isn't the main mechanic on how the Rebels get their asses handed to them in Bespin anyway, it's overwhelming Imperial force.

5 hours ago, Union said:

Alternatively maybe, but in reality having less units on the board makes it easier to not trigger panic. But panic isn't the main mechanic on how the Rebels get their asses handed to them in Bespin anyway, it's overwhelming Imperial force.

Yeah, its a shame that the balance on this one starts heavily favoured to the Imperials.

Here's another thought though. If the 8 threat he missed makes the difference in such a degree, should maybe the initial threat gain be halved to 4?

That way it's not as easy for the Rebels as he made it sound, but not as hard for them as you made it sound?