So...I'm brand new to IA (I play Armada already) and I don't have a clue what to buy. I'm mostly interested in Skirmish, and I want to play Empire.
I have only the Core set and was planning on getting the RG Champion because I really like playing with him even without his special command card(s). But...then what?
I'm kinda on a budget, so cheap is good. I like the look of the ISB Infiltrators and maybe Kayn Somos, but I'm really just guessing from looking at cards. Any ideas?
It really depends on if it's more important for you to play with what you like/themed or if you are looking for the most competitive lists. Right now for Imperials almost all serious lists include 2 sets of eJets and Captain Terro. Where you go from there tends to vary. If you aren't ultra competitive and don't need to have the best stuff then I'd say just run what sounds fun to you. Especially if you are new to the game and just learning there's plenty of time to get into the competitive side.
Cool, thanks for your advice. One other question: if I'm really interested in, say, the ISB Infiltrators, but I'm too cheap to buy Bespin Gambit yet, can I still use them in game? As long as I only play them in Skirmish it should be ok, right? Just checking so I don't end up with some useless figures on my shelf. 
1 hour ago, ImperialCaptain2017 said:Cool, thanks for your advice. One other question: if I'm really interested in, say, the ISB Infiltrators, but I'm too cheap to buy Bespin Gambit yet, can I still use them in game? As long as I only play them in Skirmish it should be ok, right? Just checking so I don't end up with some useless figures on my shelf.
Absolutely. All the blister packs come with everything you will need to use the ISBs in skirmish. The boxes generally have really good value for your money and they also come with the tiles needed to play some of the specific skirmish missions(check the blister pack to see which tiles you need)
If you are on a tight budget here's a quick list of what you need to buy in the following order:
The price is nothing compared to the value. For the cost of just a couple blister packs you can get an expansion which contains the equivalent of several blisters of plastic minis, plus all those maps and the rules and cardboard minis. If you are on a budget value matters more than price.
What are your goals? Do you play skirmish games at home or "official" tournaments? Are you going for a theme or just minmaxing the cards? If all you have is the core game Empire is a good faction to start with just for the sheer number of figures you already have.
If you know people who play even halfways competitively, but you don't, see about buying a used "outdated" rubber mat for cheap to play at home and skip some setup time.
On 8/13/2017 at 8:23 AM, TauntaunScout said:What are your goals? Do you play skirmish games at home or "official" tournaments?
I basically just play at home and casually-I don't expect to get competitive. Thanks for your advice though- I'll see how things go with my collection as time goes on and I get my next paycheck
In that case, I cannot recommend the blisters! Boxed supplements are the budget conscious way to play. You just get so much more. You know that feeling of pawing through the core game and not believing how much you got for your money? The boxed expansions are all like that. I have the Hoth, Jabba, and Twin Shadows ones, and at least those ones were amazing values. The big boxes more so than the small, for that matter. If you don't mind using cardboard tokens then they are equal in value. Look at the breakdown below, if you dare!
By now you've figured out that in terms of the core set's contents, the Imperials are well set but you barely have enough plastic to play rebels (though the cardboard included gives you choices) and I think it would be impossible to do an all Neutral skirmish size force without using the cardboard IG-88. The boxed expansions not only adds loads more Imperials to your forces but gives you more than enough figures (and loads of tactical options from the cardboard & cards) to create a fun army for the other two factions, for friends to use. Or for when you get bored, or scum for the Empire to hire in your lists, etc.
Hoth is $60. It has 3 packs of Imperials, what would probably sell as 4 packs of Neutral Forces, and 3 more rebel heroes. That's 10 packs probably averaging $10 apiece, so it's $100 worth of minis for $60. Now I will not count the scenarios/campaign as part of the value because clampacks come with scenarios too. But you also get 4 more packs worth of stuff in the form of cardboard-counter-warriors. You're now up to $140 worth of new forces for $60. Plus the maps!
Jabba's Realm is also $60. I wouldn't recommend it as strongly as Hoth because you are playing Imperials and it contains only a handful of them. But the dollar to play value ratio is about the same. You get 2 clampacks worth of Empire plastics, and 8 packs worth of Neutral forces. So, the rough equivalent of 10 clampacks in it, or $100 worth of forces. This is tough to say though because nothing quite like the Rancor exists in a clampack to compare it to. Note that all of the rebels in it are cardboard however: the 3 "heroes" in JR are Neutral forces in skirmish. In total it has 4 cardboard hero/villain/ally packs, divided up as an assortment of all 3 factions, thus in it bringing you to $140 worth of forces, plus maps!
Twin Shadows, on the other hand, is around $40 and gives you 10 minis which would probably be sold as 6 clampacks. So there's $60 worth of forces for your $40 right there, then we add in 3 more cardboard hero/villain packs which gets you up to $90 worth of gaming value for your $40. Not bad either. Plus the maps.
I would assume the breakdown for the $40 Bespin set is the same but as I do not own it, I will not comment on it. Someone can correct my math if I'm wrong (as usual), but the small and large boxes are the same value unless you prize the 3D minis, in which case the large boxes easily win out.
At any rate, money spent on any given clampack is very inefficient if you are tight for money. Save that seemingly small sum you'd spend on a clampack towards any boxed expansion and you'll be miles ahead. $60 may take a long time to save if you are scraping by but $40 is pretty manageable compared to beer, movie tickets, and all of life's other annoying expenses. ANY of the boxed expansions plus the core set will leave you feeling that you have loads of options for tweaking lists for all three factions and endless battlefields to fight on. 4 clampacks at about $10 each will just leave you wanting more....
Edited by TauntaunScout1 hour ago, TauntaunScout said:4 clampacks at about $10 each will just leave you wanting more....
Maybe you're right. Personally I'm very used to the Armada system, so the blister packs are more familiar to me...but I will definitely try to get my hands on a big-box or two.
I'd probably agree with the above suggestions to aim for a box expansion first.
Jabba's Realm is the current hotness, with Jet Troopers and Captain Terro. (Figure sold separately)
next I would suggest, probably, Twin Shadows for the Heavy Stormtroopers.
The fact that you're mainly interested in Imperials means you've already got a strong start out of the core box.
picking up Terro is a good idea, and Blaise and the ISBs are good for a spy themed squad. (Blaise also has Zillo technique, which is a very stong card for the Imperials).
Maybe look at picking up the Grand Inquisitor if you want a fun but not super awesome piece to play with.
Ha! I just got back from the hobby shop where I discovered my $10 average cost for the blister packs is low. It's probably more like $12 on average given that it's mostly squads not heroes, and the big boxes all contain big models like imperial tanks. Yeah, you should just figure out which box, big or small, best fits your theme and start with that. Since you are not averse to cardboard heroes, any boxed expansion will suddenly give you big enough collections for all three factions that you won't have to face the same forces in every friendly homegame.
I love to paint minis so I got most of the boxes and have been adding select clampacks. Everytime I ring up a few singleton figures, I am sad knowing how much more I got for that money when I was starting out buying boxes!
If you are only playing skirmish, you might consider splitting a boxed expansion with a friend. I keep toying with the idea of splitting another Twin Shadows with someone because I only want enough Tusken Raiders to make a full size skirmish army.