I'm going to be picking up Imperial Assault in a few weeks, and I'm planning on running the Core Set campaign. (As the Imperial Player, obviously.)

What do you recommend that I (and my group) purchase next?

Depends on what you want?

I just started my first campaign and haven't bought anything but the core and first wave models. I can't see myself playing with the markers instead of models.

As IP I have only felt I lack low threat cost models and for that hired guns seem good.

This is a guide I've seen:

http://boardwars.eu/ally-and-villain-packs-for-star-wars-imperial-assault/

If you're only starting out I would suggest sticking with just the core. It has enough components for the initial campaign. When you know the game better, it's worth getting more expansions later.

Once you have started a campaign you shouldn't add things in anyway, and the cost is a little excessive to get too much up front.

Unique characters are represented by tokens until you get their packs, if that bothers you, you could do what I did, get the matching figure packs as you get to the relevant missions they show up in.

After finishing the first campaign you could then decide what to get next. Large boxes if you want more full length campaigns, small boxes if you want more alternative side missions for those campaigns - great if you want to replay the first campaign with more variations. (small boxes also come with mini campaigns).

Finally figure packs give you alternative villians or allies. Best value on the figure packs are the hired guns, they don't need anything to add them to campaigns. Best allies are the wookiee warriors.

Certain figure packs may require you to purchase the associated expansion to play their maps.

I think you will know pretty quickly (like, within three games), what direction you want to go with the game. I'd recommend either buying some of the Wave 1 blister pack figures (Han, Chewie, General Weiss, IG-88, Rebel Troopers, Rebel Saboteurs, and the Royal Guard) or some expansions. Or both if you've got money to burn. The Wave 1 figures all potentially appear in the Core Campaign and having the figures can round out the feel of the game nicely. It's a thrill for everyone when you drop the Royal Guard Champion figure for the first time and then cue up the Duel of Fates music, but far from an essential playing experience. The Twin Shadows expansion is nice if you want to spend less while still giving your players some fun new options, while Return to Hoth is if you are really loving the game and chew through missions quickly. I also recommend getting the Hired Guns and Wookie Warriors blisters.

Most figure packs do not require anything more than the Core, but there are some rare exceptions. The Bantha figure requires Twin Shadows, and I think the ISB agents require Bespin Gambit, but I might be wrong. IMO though, it works best if you have things generally match up with the expansion. Thematically, it would be weird to have the Echo Base Troopers show up in a mission on Tatooine, but it's technically allowed under the game mechanics.

Nothing. Play a few missions and see.

1 hour ago, Pollux85 said:

Most figure packs do not require anything more than the Core, but there are some rare exceptions. The Bantha figure requires Twin Shadows, and I think the ISB agents require Bespin Gambit, but I might be wrong.

Most figure packs require the associated boxed expansion to use their missions. The "reinforcement wave" figures only need core tiles, except the Bantha Rider.

However, the imperial/mercenary non-uniques such as the Bantha Rider (but can be only used on missions with Desert tiles), Hired Guns, ISB Infiltrators, Jawa Scavenger, the Dewback Rider from Terro's pack etc. do not require their missions to be able to include them in your open groups.

Box sets are the best value.

For packs, Alliance Smuggler gives Rebels a good choice for ally and Hired Guns are a good cheap unit for Imperial and both are a good addition to core.

R2-D2 and C3-P0 is another great ally pack, but you need Twin Shadows.

After that start looking at wave 7 and 9. Jawa Scavenger, Greedo, Obi-Wan, The Grand Inquisitor, BT-1 and 0-0-0, Hera Syndulla and C1-10P.

9 hours ago, Union said:

Box sets are the best value.

For packs, Alliance Smuggler gives Rebels a good choice for ally and Hired Guns are a good cheap unit for Imperial and both are a good addition to core.

R2-D2 and C3-P0 is another great ally pack, but you need Twin Shadows.

After that start looking at wave 7 and 9. Jawa Scavenger, Greedo, Obi-Wan, The Grand Inquisitor, BT-1 and 0-0-0, Hera Syndulla and C1-10P.

I have played through the core campaign and twin shadows and can say from experience that Greedo is a good pick for the imperials and the droids (C-3PO more than R2) are handy for the rebels, provided you like the game enough to buy Twin Shadows.

18 hours ago, a1bert said:

Nothing. Play a few missions and see.

Always listen to @a1bert

play the core campaign first and then decide. I really think blister packs are most useful for skirmish.

In the core campaign, maybe you'll be lucky enough to get a mission with IG-88 or another unique figure, but maybe not. Rebels can brigg a max of 1 ally, and they have to draw and then win the side mission for that ally first. So blister packs just don't show up enough in campaign.

(unless it's a non-unique imperial or mercenaries figure that the IP can freely add to open groups like Hired guns, Bantha, ISB Infiltrators, Jawa, and you already have enough stormtroopers).

Don't spend too much until you and your friends are all hooked.

You make me blush... Listen, but make your own decisions. ( Unless you get to play more often than once a week, you'll know a week or two beforehand of the possibility of playing a mission with figure(s) that are represented as tokens in the core box, and you can then decide whether it's worth to order the figure pack(s). )

Btw, my current favorite non-unique group is the elite Jawa Scavenger , and the second is Dewback Rider . Both should work very well with the core campaign missions and with the core class decks.

32 minutes ago, a1bert said:

You make me blush... Listen, but make your own decisions. ( Unless you get to play more often than once a week, you'll know a week or two beforehand of the possibility of playing a mission with figure(s) that are represented as tokens in the core box, and you can then decide whether it's worth to order the figure pack(s). )

Btw, my current favorite non-unique group is the elite Jawa Scavenger , and the second is Dewback Rider . Both should work very well with the core campaign missions and with the core class decks.

I'll most likely be playing more than once a week.

I have been looking at those two. For the Dewback Rider, you use the Dewback Rider itself as an Open Group, but Captain Terro requires Jabba's Realm for campaign use, correct? Can Terro can be used in a Skirmish match without Jabba's Realm?

2 hours ago, Fightwookies said:

Always listen to @a1bert

play the core campaign first and then decide. I really think blister packs are most useful for skirmish.

In the core campaign, maybe you'll be lucky enough to get a mission with IG-88 or another unique figure, but maybe not. Rebels can brigg a max of 1 ally, and they have to draw and then win the side mission for that ally first. So blister packs just don't show up enough in campaign.

(unless it's a non-unique imperial or mercenaries figure that the IP can freely add to open groups like Hired guns, Bantha, ISB Infiltrators, Jawa, and you already have enough stormtroopers).

Don't spend too much until you and your friends are all hooked.

One ally per mission or one ally per campaign?

Also, are there any prerequisites for using Mercenary units in an open group?

15 hours ago, Union said:

Box sets are the best value.

For packs, Alliance Smuggler gives Rebels a good choice for ally and Hired Guns are a good cheap unit for Imperial and both are a good addition to core.

R2-D2 and C3-P0 is another great ally pack, but you need Twin Shadows.

After that start looking at wave 7 and 9. Jawa Scavenger, Greedo, Obi-Wan, The Grand Inquisitor, BT-1 and 0-0-0, Hera Syndulla and C1-10P.

I already want Obi-Wan and the Inquisitor. Greedo looks like a slightly buffed Hired Gun, and the Jawas look great. I don't know a lot about BT-1 and 0-0-0 or Hera and Chopper yet.

Correct. Captain Terro's agenda side mission requires tiles from Jabba's Realm. Any figure can be used in skirmish though if you don't care about the skirmish mission in the pack itself.

In the campaign all figures controlled by the imperial player are imperial figures whether they are Imperial or Mercenary affiliation. (Some missions may have special setup rule: No Mercenary figures.)

After hearing the mission briefing and taking their places, the rebels can choose take up to one ally they have earned to that mission.

Also see http://boardwars.eu/ally-and-villain-packs-for-star-wars-imperial-assault/

26 minutes ago, ShadowTrooper7 said:

One ally per mission or one ally per campaign?

Also, are there any prerequisites for using Mercenary units in an open group?

One ally per mission, but you have to win them first which means, their side mission has to come up in the side mission deck and then you have to win them. You can win multiples, but you have to win multiple side missions (or there may be a story mission that gives you one). If you won multiple, you can only bring one to a mission.

Imperials can bring merc and imperial figures in the open group, as long as they're not unique figures (Greedo, Grand Inquisitor, etc). If you want to bring a unique figure, same rules apply. You have to draw their side mission and win them as a villain. Once you do, then you can add them to your open group.

On 6/22/2017 at 0:22 PM, Fightwookies said:

One ally per mission, but you have to win them first which means, their side mission has to come up in the side mission deck and then you have to win them. You can win multiples, but you have to win multiple side missions (or there may be a story mission that gives you one). If you won multiple, you can only bring one to a mission.

Imperials can bring merc and imperial figures in the open group, as long as they're not unique figures (Greedo, Grand Inquisitor, etc). If you want to bring a unique figure, same rules apply. You have to draw their side mission and win them as a villain. Once you do, then you can add them to your open group.

You just answered pretty much every remaining question I had about how to play the game. Thank you.

7 minutes ago, ShadowTrooper7 said:

You just answered pretty much every remaining question I had about how to play the game. Thank you.

Haha. Awesome. To clarify a point, you acquire the missions for the imperial/mercs through the agenda set.

2 hours ago, Fightwookies said:

Haha. Awesome. To clarify a point, you acquire the missions for the imperial/mercs through the agenda set.

Yes. I have gathered that. Do non-unique figures (Bantha Rider, Stormtroopers) come with agenda sets?

4 minutes ago, ShadowTrooper7 said:

Yes. I have gathered that. Do non-unique figures (Bantha Rider, Stormtroopers) come with agenda sets?

They do! They even have one that's a mission, but instead of earning the right to bring them out (which you can already do) you earn a special imperial reward card.

One thing to keep in mind for campaign play- though the non-unique packs are generally thought of as being more for Skirmish, I tend to get more value out of them than my uniques in campaign.

I've play 4 campaigns now, and can say that I still haven't used every villain, and the Rebels haven't come close to using every hero. I have used every non-unique of the set, though, as they're by design much easier to bring in.

37 minutes ago, ManateeX said:

They do! They even have one that's a mission, but instead of earning the right to bring them out (which you can already do) you earn a special imperial reward card.

Thank you.

8 minutes ago, subtrendy2 said:

One thing to keep in mind for campaign play- though the non-unique packs are generally thought of as being more for Skirmish, I tend to get more value out of them than my uniques in campaign.

I've play 4 campaigns now, and can say that I still haven't used every villain, and the Rebels haven't come close to using every hero. I have used every non-unique of the set, though, as they're by design much easier to bring in.

I'll keep that in mind. It is worth trying to obtain figures like the Royal Guard Champion or Vader? Does their high cost make it difficult to bring them in?

1 minute ago, ShadowTrooper7 said:

I'll keep that in mind. It is worth trying to obtain figures like the Royal Guard Champion or Vader? Does their high cost make it difficult to bring them in?

Depends. There have been some efforts to address this (like the Nemesis class deck in Jabba's Realm, and Murne Rin's Company of Heroes ability) but if you just have the core set it's generally agreed on that high cost villains are a pretty big risk.

Newer stuff has been cheaper, if not also a little less beefy. For instance, The Grand Inquisitor is a nice Force User alternative to Vader. He can't take a hit nearly as hard and can't deal out pain as efficiently, but you also don't have to sink 18 threat into him. That extra 9 threat could be used for something else, like rStormtroopers and rProbe Droid (or, you know, literally any other combination of deployments equal to or less than 9), which is generally gonna net you a lot more attacks than a single Vader.

36 minutes ago, subtrendy2 said:

Depends. There have been some efforts to address this (like the Nemesis class deck in Jabba's Realm, and Murne Rin's Company of Heroes ability) but if you just have the core set it's generally agreed on that high cost villains are a pretty big risk.

Newer stuff has been cheaper, if not also a little less beefy. For instance, The Grand Inquisitor is a nice Force User alternative to Vader. He can't take a hit nearly as hard and can't deal out pain as efficiently, but you also don't have to sink 18 threat into him. That extra 9 threat could be used for something else, like rStormtroopers and rProbe Droid (or, you know, literally any other combination of deployments equal to or less than 9), which is generally gonna net you a lot more attacks than a single Vader.

But the temptation to bring Vader in is so strong....

It's too bad that the new Driven by Hatred upgrade for him won't work in Campaign mode.

9 minutes ago, ShadowTrooper7 said:

But the temptation to bring Vader in is so strong....

It's too bad that the new Driven by Hatred upgrade for him won't work in Campaign mode.

I mean, I guess you could use it if your players agree to it.

But I totally agree- I wish we'd just get new deployment cards (seperate skirmish and campaign, if necessary) instead of these attachments as fixed.