Hey guys

so my friend and I finally got in a few more learn to play games. I’ve lost 3 times with the rebels. Is the learn tomplay game simply not tomtheir advantage? It seems like they really need to concentrate fire...

I think it is a little lopsided in the empire's favor due to terrain. Are you just using the barricades from the core set or are you throwing in more terrain pieces?

Yesm just th barracades

1 hour ago, Will44 said:

Yesm just th barracades

Me and my friend had the same experience. Once you add more terrain (especially things that block line of sight) it evens out. The other thing is that there is a temptation to run Luke up and fight Vader right away, but that's a big mistake. Vader will knock Luke down 9 times out of 10 head to head if he's not softened up first.

9 hours ago, KommanderKeldoth said:

Me and my friend had the same experience. Once you add more terrain (especially things that block line of sight) it evens out. The other thing is that there is a temptation to run Luke up and fight Vader right away, but that's a big mistake. Vader will knock Luke down 9 times out of 10 head to head if he's not softened up first.

Yup. All we added is a scratch-built tatooine house and vaporator to make it feel more Star Warsy. They always sit next to each other as decoration, on one flank of the table but they do block LOS. And I have demoe'd the game for many players of all experience levels and I haven't found the games usually go to either faction.

Even though they don't really, for simplicity sake we make them block sight to the AT-RT too. Cheap good looking LOS blocking stuff is out there! Grab a giant rock from the backyard if you have to.

You can't make it out too well in the pic but this product is a ready-made desert house for Star Wars, for $1.68 at Lowe's. I'm sure Home Depot has similar things. I spray painted some to make snowy bunkers but in this tan color it can be a ready made Mos Eisley building. You could go to town decorating it up but as it is it'll work without breaking immersion. Get two or more and you have alleyways to hide in. In the same part of the store you can find exotic shaped tan colored paint trays that I like to think of as repulsor landing pads, comms arrays, and/or solar power generators. You can make a little town for just under $2 per building before local sales taxes. The best part is they stack for easy storage. They have no exterior logos to hide, and the price tags are on the inside so you don't have to scrub them off. The thing you want to look for is, a tub whose lip lays flush with the table, like a little terrain base, when you flip it upside down. Some of the paint mixing tubs won't work in this regard.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-Disposable-Paint-Tray-Common-7-in-x-7-in-Actual-6-4-in-x-6-4-in/3371206

Here's my pics with a coin for scale.

Comms array, generator, landing pad type buildings:

House:

Terrain helps considerably, as it tames the DLT's extra range, and gives short range characters a chance. Terrain isn't hard to make, as Tauntaun Scout mentioned; styrofoam and drywall spackle is a great way to make cheapish buildings that look great on a desert map.

things balance out with Terrain and full armies. Vader is a Beast in the Learn to Play, some of his abilities are less daunting when the board is bigger and Line of Sight is blocked.

Thanks guys

terrain is no shortage, Im a recovering 40k player. Played some infinity too...

11 hours ago, Will44 said:

Thanks guys

terrain is no shortage, Im a recovering 40k player. Played some infinity too...

The release of Legion was pretty much the final nail in my 40k coffin. I still paint and collect armies from the vintage days of my youth, to play with my friends, but I don't really care about owning a current codex or anything now that Legion is played in stores.

Outside of terrain, and given the core box contents your playing with, rebels troopers should be taking dodge tokens rather than aims, they role better damage on average and those white defense dice suck.

Run Luke with Force Reflexes, & Force Push for survivability and flexibility, both are free actions and can help with his action economy and survivability.

Make sure you make the most of these skills and think about how the mechanics work e.g:

Close in on a stormtrooper squad but instead of charging out in the open, try to pull them towards you into meleee and keep the cover or LOS blocking terrain to your advantage, you can push/pull units over difficult terrain and around some corners, given the flexibility of the move 1 template.

Facing Vader, don't try to use Son of Skywalker too early, get 2-3 wounds on him at range with Lukes blaster or some focussed fire from troopers or the AT-RT. Then utilize Son of Sky Walker to do two attacks and take him off the board, with just the core box content there are not too many answers to Lukes ability to ninja strike.

Lukes Jump ability is amazing, it can be used to assassinate leaping over walls and buildings or defensively e.g. grab a crate and jump out of site in gather the supplies objective.

I personally play Imperials, but I have always been jealous of Rebel Troopers Cost Effectiveness and Lukes capabilities and flexibility.