As a long-time wargamer I have always been looking for a Star Wars miniatures game. I play a lot of X-Wing but what I have been looking for was for a non-spaceship game. I have tried the old Wizards of the Coast game, but the rules are too simplistic for my liking. I have been trying to convince myself to buy Imperial Assault ever since it came out, but its price tag was holding me back. I have watched several battle reports and I have to say, the game looks really nice. Of course, I am asking about your input and feedback because it is different watching someone play the game and actually playing it yourself.

I know that the campaign part is more like a board game, which is not bad, don't get me wrong, but I am mostly interested in the skirmish part of the game. So what I am asking from you is to tell me if the game is worth it (for the skirmish part) and if I can play skirmish out of the main box or if I need to buy expansions.

Thanks in advance!

Play Imperial Assault... < click > or the bunny gets it.

You can play skirmish out of the box. You'll probably want to get expansions to get competitive, though.

pew pew pew!

2 hours ago, fok12 said:

As a long-time wargamer I have always been looking for a Star Wars miniatures game. I play a lot of X-Wing but what I have been looking for was for a non-spaceship game. I have tried the old Wizards of the Coast game, but the rules are too simplistic for my liking. I have been trying to convince myself to buy Imperial Assault ever since it came out, but its price tag was holding me back. I have watched several battle reports and I have to say, the game looks really nice. Of course, I am asking about your input and feedback because it is different watching someone play the game and actually playing it yourself.

I know that the campaign part is more like a board game, which is not bad, don't get me wrong, but I am mostly interested in the skirmish part of the game. So what I am asking from you is to tell me if the game is worth it (for the skirmish part) and if I can play skirmish out of the main box or if I need to buy expansions.

Thanks in advance!

If you don't have a strong local following, I wouldn't invest the money.

I live in NorCal and it's anemic. My hundreds of dollars sits on my cabinet for months at a time untouched. I told my wife how excited I was about the new box/packs coming out and she recommended I wait to buy it until I actually need it - as in until I actually gather 4 other committed players for a campaign or am able to attend multiple store championships (there's been 2 scheduled this whole year: the first was 2.5 hours away, and the second only 1.5. All the rest are 6+ hours away in SoCal.). It's hard for me to argue against that.

It's very disappointing.

Playing skirmish right out of the core box *is* possible if you happen to be lured by the Dark Side. It has many of the staples perfect for Imperial forces: eStormtrooers, Imperial Officers (note the errata for them in the FAQ), Probe Droids.

If you are looking to play Rebel or Merc, you'll likely need to look into more expansions to round force composition.

Don't forget that blister packs can also go a long way to filling out your lists if you don't want to buy full boxed expansions.

We did an episode a while about for people thinking about getting into Skirmish.

Skirmish for Starters

If you can't find one or two other people around you who aren't interested in playing skirmish though, that could be a dealbreaker. Though even if you can find people who are down to just share out of your collection then I think it's worth it. It's really fun.

Having begun with x-wing, I am now in love with IA. It has fast become my favourite game. Admittedly, I have a store where I can play weekly so that makes a big difference. Have you checked out local stores/groups?

The game itself is fantastic!

Get a couple of friends to do the campaign with you, and before you know it you'll all be driving together to go play in store tournaments. I was the extra friend needed to do the campaign, and I got hooked.

6 minutes ago, Fightwookies said:

Get a couple of friends to do the campaign with you, and before you know it you'll all be driving together to go play in store tournaments. I was the extra friend needed to do the campaign, and I got hooked.

That's really cool that you were brought into it like that and are now a big enough fan to be posting on the forums. Nice!

As far as campaign v skirmish goes- I know a lot of times, people end up getting the game for one and liking the other mode even better. For instance, I definitely got this game for Skirmish, but I barely have played it for that now. I'm in my fourth campaign now, and it's definitely one of my favorite games of all time (and easily the favorite game of my group).

Others have bought the game for campaign and have ended up finding more enjoyment out of skirmish.

I get that's probably not a really strong pitch, but the fact that the game modes are so appealing as to see that kind of crossover is a boon to the game, in my opinion.

I very recently got into this game and only play skirmish.

Reasons I like Imperial Assault:

• The map rotation and different objectives keep the game dynamic and fresh;
• The mix of public information with just a touch of hidden information (e.g. the command cards in your hand) makes for interesting decisions;
• The different types of dice help the units feel unique without being overly complicated;
• As miniature games go, IA is super cheap;
• Compared to X-wing, unless you have a really really bad turn, regular kinds of bad turns are merely setbacks and not game ending.
• People don't care if all the models are painted; and,
• I am sure there are a bunch I am forgetting.

I think that IA feels like a really good competitive game that can only improve over time. I would recommend checking it out.

If skirmish is your thing I'd download the Vassal program and try to run a couple of games online there with people. It could give you a feel for the game without any real commitment. Obviously you lose the tactile feel of the minis and the rolling the dice but it's something you could wet your feet with before spendings hundreds.

that being said I absolutely love the game and play multiple times a week with friends and my brother.

I cannot state enough that before you buy anything you should make sure your area actually has a thriving IA skirmish community or you have some people (at least 3 others) that are willing to jump in with you. In some cities IA is bustling and in some cities there is no community at all. It really sucks to do all the research, buy (and maybe paint) all the figures, put together lists and then find out you have no opponents to play against. I guess if you are playing with your spouse that is good enough, but for me I like to have an engaged community to play with.

As for the game itself, I'm guessing you've already done research at sites like BGG and youtube as well as the skirmish rules themselves from FFG's website. You've said you're a long time wargamer but then you say you're scared off by a $80 price tag, so we can't really assume what wargaming background you have or what your preferences are. I don't really like telling other people why they should or shouldn't do something that is purely personal preference, the reasons I like something might be completely different from the reasons somebody else likes that same thing and might even be reasons for someone else to dislike that thing, so what doubts do you have and what information do you feel you're lacking about the game that is stopping you from purchasing?

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. Since I cannot reply to each one of you, I am going to post some generalized answers for all to read.

As far as local stores and players go, there are very few. I live in Greece and the community here, on any game, is really small. To give you an idea, a regular X-Wing store tournament has 8 to 10 people max and there is only one store that does tournaments on a regular basis (monthly) with a couple other stores organizing one every few months. That being said, most people here have tried and/or own Imperial Assault, as most wargames really, since the community is small and no matter what you play, you pretty much see the same people.

I saw someone mentioning the price tag. I did not mean that the price tag scares me. What I meant was that I already play and follow X-Wing as well as getting back into Warhammer 40k and there is a limit on how many games one can follow. If I can't really play IA out of the box and have to buy expansions that triple the actual cost, I would like to know beforehand. Also, whoever mentioned that the game costs 80$, I would like to know where you are buying your stuff from . Here, the lowest price is 100 Euros, which is 120$.

Finally, as far as skirmish out of the box, what I meant, and I poorly phrased it, was if two players can play skirmish out of the box (against each other obviously). I do not know the lists building options offered in the main box, but I do not really mind Dark Side vs Dark Side.

Thanks again guys!

It depends on just how you want to play the game. Command cards are of major importance (game winningly so) and you only get one copy of some important cards in the core set. If you are happy to play more casually, this shouldn't matter - you'll just have to verify careful to construct 'fair' command decks and maybe leave out the card 'take initiative' if you have only one copy.

6 hours ago, fok12 said:

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I really appreciate it. Since I cannot reply to each one of you, I am going to post some generalized answers for all to read.

As far as local stores and players go, there are very few. I live in Greece and the community here, on any game, is really small. To give you an idea, a regular X-Wing store tournament has 8 to 10 people max and there is only one store that does tournaments on a regular basis (monthly) with a couple other stores organizing one every few months. That being said, most people here have tried and/or own Imperial Assault, as most wargames really, since the community is small and no matter what you play, you pretty much see the same people.

I saw someone mentioning the price tag. I did not mean that the price tag scares me. What I meant was that I already play and follow X-Wing as well as getting back into Warhammer 40k and there is a limit on how many games one can follow. If I can't really play IA out of the box and have to buy expansions that triple the actual cost, I would like to know beforehand. Also, whoever mentioned that the game costs 80$, I would like to know where you are buying your stuff from . Here, the lowest price is 100 Euros, which is 120$.

Finally, as far as skirmish out of the box, what I meant, and I poorly phrased it, was if two players can play skirmish out of the box (against each other obviously). I do not know the lists building options offered in the main box, but I do not really mind Dark Side vs Dark Side.

Thanks again guys!

You can play two player skirmish right out of the box but as others have stated, you'll be limited to sharing one set of Command Cards which might be a bit tricky. You'll likely be looking at running Imperial vs Mercenary (using Temporary Alliance to add in a few Rebel figures to round out to 40 points). You could build a Rebel force of Luke leading a rag-tag group of single figures but that might not give you the best feel for the game. While your choices are limited, it is doable.

If you are playing casually, I guess you could just use the campaign tokens for some of the deployment cards that come with the base game but no figures (Rebel Sabs, Rebel Troopers, IG-88, etc.) to open up your options.

Adding in an expansion pack or two is also an easy way to open up build choices if you find you like the game enough from a few plays with just the Core set contents. If you want trooper-type figures, I'd suggest Hired Guns for Merc, ISB Infiltrators for Imp, and Rebel Saboteurs for Rebels. If you want named figures: Greedo or Jabba are nice for Merc, Leia, Obi-Wan or C-3PO/R2-D2 work well for Rebels and I like the dual purposing of the Capt. Terro pack for Imperial.

Because it's Star Wars...

/thread

~D

As someone who plays MTG, X-Wing, Armada and Imperial Assault, I completely understand the need to balance a gaming budget. The $80 price tag I quoted comes from buying from Amazon in the U.S, which you probably don't have access to now that we know where you're at.

The core box does come with two prebuilt skirmish lists for Rebel and Imperial that can be played against each other, but the Rebel side is lacking in filler trooper units and can feel a bit anemic. Someone mentioned that you have to share command cards, but the core box comes with duplicates of key command cards that both players would want like Take Initiative and Planning, so you won't be to hard-up that way. If the core box in your area is $120, then I would say you could easily pad out your skirmishes forces for a more complete feeling game for less than $200 once you buy 2-3 generic unit expacs for the Rebels and maybe the R2/3PO droid duo if they are available.

Now that I know you play 40k, something to consider that I've heard mentioned by other 40k players is how much smaller and somewhat cramped the maps in IA can feel compared to wargames that are played on a 2mx1.5m table. Some players have also said the grid feels limiting compared to the freedom of tape measure movement, although personally I prefer the more precise nature of moving on a grid.

However the game's rules are much more streamlined than 40k and once you learn the rules you never have to look at reference charts which is a huge plus for me and the missions have a really great flow where the combat is important but combat is centralized around the objectives and key choke points on the maps. The amount of variety in the maps and objectives themselves seem endless in the game, it's one of the key selling points for me that you can play so many different skirmish scenarios before you ever have to replay the same one.

The core box comes with 3 maps that each have 2 scenarios to play, but each expansion you buy comes with a new map configuration to play on and 2 new scenarios to play on that map. Each new map has its own new strategic locations to consider and learn, which is a huge plus for me over traditional war games that play out on the same rectangle with slightly different arrays of hills and forests and that only have 6 or so different scenarios to play with. Big box expansions introduce new terrain type like snow in Hoth or city in Bespin.

1 hour ago, Tvboy said:

The core box comes with 3 maps that each have 2 scenarios to play, but each expansion you buy comes with a new map configuration to play on and 2 new scenarios to play on that map. Each new map has its own new strategic locations to consider and learn, which is a huge plus for me over traditional war games that play out on the same rectangle with slightly different arrays of hills and forests and that only have 6 or so different scenarios to play with. Big box expansions introduce new terrain type like snow in Hoth or city in Bespin.

Also, you can get these maps online at some of the Imperial Assault websites w/o needing the expansion packs to create those additional skirmish maps. The only thing you wouldn't be able to do, is create the maps that require the additional box (small & large) sets w/o purchasing those said sets.

~D

@caseycheesecake

Have you tried the Vassal version of the game? Admittedly, I haven't tried it myself since there are places I can go to play less than an hour away (I'm in So Cal).

BUT, it might be worth the experience even if you don't get to have a game with actual minis in front of you. Just a thought.

10 hours ago, HoodieDM said:

Because it's Star Wars...

And its not X-wing!

10 hours ago, HoodieDM said:

/thread

~D

Seriously, there's been enough new stuff that's come out that has balanced this game more than people thing. Great game! I'm seriously burned out on campaign, but skirmish has a map and associated missions rotate every quarter.

2v2 Skirmish is very limited using only the Core box for 2 players.

Imperials have a good variety straight off, but Rebels are mainly limited to Luke and the Skirmish versions of the heroes in the box.

IF you're ok with proxying in figures for cards in the box, you also have access to Chewie and Han. As well as IG-88 for scum. (And Weiss and Royal Guard Champion for Imperials)

But overall the Corse box is quite anemic when it comes to Scum/Rebel lists.

Rebel Figures & Cards in box: Luke, Diala, Mak, Jyn, Gaarkhan, Gideon, Fenn
Rebel Cards in box; Rebel Saboteurs, Rebel Troopers, Chewbacca, Han Solo
Scum Figures & Cards in box: Trandoshan Hunters (E & R), Nexu (E & R)
Scum Cards in box; IG-88

17 hours ago, Force Majeure said:

@caseycheesecake

Have you tried the Vassal version of the game? Admittedly, I haven't tried it myself since there are places I can go to play less than an hour away (I'm in So Cal).

BUT, it might be worth the experience even if you don't get to have a game with actual minis in front of you. Just a thought.

I play on vassal occasionally - and only if the opponent has a headset or it's too slow.