So, I purchased Imperial Assault about a year ago, didn't really get on with it - i tend to play with just one other person and we didn't like the dynamic of one Player being on each side, it just wasn't fun for us. (Empire seemed way overpowered)

Then the App came out and we really, really started enjoying it. so much so that i then purchased all of the Ally/Villain packs for the Core Set and actually painted them.

I'm now wondering which Expansion to purchase. What would people recommend? I'm leaning towards "Twin Shadows" and "Return to Hoth"

Usually I'd recommend Jabba's Realm, because I think that has the most fun campaign (although I also hear good things about Heart of the Empire, but I haven't played it). In your case, though, where you're buying to play with the app, I'd just go with whatever heroes and figures you like the look of the best. You really can't go wrong . There's speculation that the next app campaign may use a tile set from one of the expansions (since that's what happened with Descent) but when the new campaign will be released and which expansion they will use is really anybody's guess so I wouldn't probably base your decision on that. If I was personally guessing I would say it would probably be Twin Shadows or Hoth, since they were the next chronological releases.

One thing to be aware of though, that applies equally well to both Twin Shadows and Hoth, is that once you add in the expansion to the app those figures will start turning up as random groups. Some, like Hoth's HK droids or Twin Shadows' Heavy Stormtroopers, are great and work pretty much anywhere, but other times you end up with Wampas showing up in the middle of a forest or snowtroopers coming at you from the desert. Now this doesn't really bother me at all, but if you're the type of person where that kind of theming matters to you then you might be better off going with the more generic units from Jabba or Heart of the Empire.

Yeah, like @ManateeX said, it's possible the next campaign in the app (which is speculated to possibly be announced today) will require an expansion. It might be smart to wait to see what it'll need, if you're interested in the app.

For Imperial/Merc units, I'd honestly suggest either Heart of the Empire or Jabba's Realm. Some interesting looking and interesting to play stuff in there. I thought the units in the smallboxes were kinda disappointing, and I wasn't totally in love with the Wampas or HKs in Hoth either.

thanks guys, that's much appreciated. My head says to wait for an announcement but my heart wants me to buy and paint more.

7 minutes ago, subtrendy2 said:

For Imperial/Merc units, I'd honestly suggest either Heart of the Empire or Jabba's Realm. Some interesting looking and interesting to play stuff in there.

How do those expansions' campaigns work? Which is more balanced? I would like to buy one and I can't decide based on the units and heroes.

Balance is an illusion that you have to work on yourself. If the rebels take the best heroes you need to take one of the best class decks.

I didn't appreciate Return to Hoth due to seemingly hitting just missions without (practical) time limits / time limit on the imperial side. Seems easier on the rebels overall.

I have played a lot of Jabba's Realm missions (PBF SWIA050 getting the ones I had not played before), although lost most of them. Jabba's Realm has both a powerful (Hutt Mercenaries) and a fun class deck (Nemeses).

I like Heart of the Empire for its slightly shorter length. Reactive Defenses doesn't seem to be powerful enough for good rebels, Power of the Dark Side is quite interesting.

I think Bespin Gambit is more swingy (and uneven) than Twin Shadows, which on the other hand is overall a little harder for the rebels (and Biv and Saska need the rest of team be above average). Imperial Black Ops and Inspiring Leadership are not the easiest to use well but allow a lot of creativity and good combos for a good planner.

56 minutes ago, NagyLaci said:

How do those expansions' campaigns work? Which is more balanced? I would like to buy one and I can't decide based on the units and heroes.

In general, here's how I'd describe the campaigns (if you're referring to the campaigns in the booklets):

Once's I've played at least once

Core- Simple, straightforward missions. YMMV with balance. Storyline is pretty generic.

Return to Hoth- Slightly more complex missions. Balance can be an issue. Threat missions help distinguish it from other campaigns, but also lessen the appeal of replaying Hoth multiple times. Campaign story is more focused than Core, but still somewhat loose.

Jabba's Realm- Significant improvement in both mission structure and campaign structure as a whole. Theme is on point.

Ones I've played Side Missions From, but not as Mini-campaigns

Twin Shadows- Short campaign. Very "Star Wars-y" feel. Some more clever missions (Canyon Run still stands out as a fun time for me).

The Bespin Gambit- Short Campaign. Smaller maps. Tends to be tough on the Rebels.

Ones I've only read

Heart of the Empire- Haven't played, but it looks like a ton of fun. Missions are very clever, and campaign is structured for maximum replayability. Lower amount of side missions helps keep story tighter, and makes overall campaign length about 33% shorter.

I'm especially interested about campaign structures. I don't understand heart of the empire's reward cards and choosing next story mission.

Can someone please post how those work?

19 minutes ago, NagyLaci said:

I'm especially interested about campaign structures. I don't understand heart of the empire's reward cards and choosing next story mission.

Can someone please post how those work?

It's been a while since I read it, but here's a basic overview from what I remember:

-- The campaign log lists the type of active mission the heroes
can choose during each Mission Phase. For example, if it
says "Story Mission" the heroes must choose an active Story
Mission to resolve. There is often only one active Story Mission
at a time.

In HotE (and Jabba's Realm), if the imperial player wins the "right" to choose a story mission, only that one is put into play so only that one can be selected. If the rebels win, usually two alternative ones are put into play to choose from.

Hello! I am hoping for a little bit of help. I am having trouble choosing between Rebel Troopers, Rebel Saboteurs, Echo Base Troopers and Alliance Smuggler. I have the core set, twin shadows and hoth expansions with many other ally/villain packs. I also prefer the campaign. Any suggestions or advice? Thank you so much!

4 hours ago, Chugg said:

Hello! I am hoping for a little bit of help. I am having trouble choosing between Rebel Troopers, Rebel Saboteurs, Echo Base Troopers and Alliance Smuggler. I have the core set, twin shadows and hoth expansions with many other ally/villain packs. I also prefer the campaign. Any suggestions or advice? Thank you so much!

Hi there,
Please don't post the same message in 7 topics.... that's every so slightly annoying.

Of the Ally Packs you list, we've had the most fun with Alliance Smuggler. He's cheap (and therefore easy to include even in early missions), and his speed can come in very handy in certain missions. That said, he is very squishy. The other packs are cool too, but I think I'd put Rebel Troopers second.

Good luck.

Apologies. Wasn’t sure what thread people would respond to since they are so old so I wanted to spread my chances of feedback with more posts. Thank you for the feedback!

No prob. There're so little going on around here that any post is sure to be read by everyone, so.... One post will do

Btw, I just re-checked the Alliance Smuggler, and I had totally forgotten that he can also perform an interact as an action. That is very rare for allies, and combined with his speed, VERY helpful. Bringing him along is basically like having half an extra hero in the team, but he's only one dude and dies VERY easily, so take advantage of his speed and extra range required to target him.

Thank you!

and that’s exactly what I was thinking with the smuggler. He seems cool. Low health, but great cost and worth it abilities. The interact and move seems pretty useful to me. Too bad there arent two or three figures to a pack and with a Reinforcement-type card from the trooper pack, but for smugglers. They could get a lot done I imagine. Not that i need more packs right now though : )

All figures can interact unless the mission rules restrict it, so the Alliance Smuggler doesn't have any edge in that itself, he just does it better by moving spaces afterwards.

5 hours ago, a1bert said:

All figures can interact unless the mission rules restrict it, so the Alliance Smuggler doesn't have any edge in that itself, he just does it better by moving spaces afterwards.

True. Can he interact with stuff that the rules have down as "reble heroes can interact with X"? His specific rule overrides the general mission rule, right? He's basically R2-D2 in that respect, but he can also interact with non-terminal stuff? (And, he scores an automatic success if he needs to, like R2-D2). Or can the Alliance Smuggler just ineract with stuff that any other ally can interact with? (If so, why make it an action and not just a static "when AS performs an interact action, he gains 2 movement points" ability?)

Nah, there is nothing about "like a hero" in his special action unlike the R2-D2's ability.

The special action just combines the Interact as an action and moving 2 spaces.

If you have the Hoth expansion, I'd recommend getting the Echo Base Troopers first out of those options.

On 11/10/2020 at 4:05 PM, player678037 said:

If you have the Hoth expansion, I'd recommend getting the Echo Base Troopers first out of those options.

Thank you for the recommendation! I did just that.