Hi folks,

It's been awhile! My group just started Jabba's Realm after a few years hiatus from the game and I'm trying to figure out the best strategy for choosing side missions.

Heros are Shyla, Vinto, Murne and Verena. Imperial Class is Military Might. We just won the first mission (Trespass), have 2 XP and 550 credits to spend.

Our first two side missions to choose from are Homecoming (ally Luke - hero of rebellion) and Born From Death (Mandalorian Heritage).

Now, my question.

If a mission with a great reward like Mandalorian Heritage comes up early , should rebels choose to play it early, or save it for later when we are more powered up? What's the best chance for success? If we save it till the second side mission, threat will climb to 3 but our heros will have about 4 XP and better weapons...

That's the specific question, but also interested in more general decision-making tips about how and when to choose Side Missions most effectively.

Thanks!

The first side mission is usually more swingy.

- For the heroes it's more swingy, because you are mostly with your starting weapons and a few class cards.
- For the Imperial Player it's more swingy, because the threat level is 2, and there's a big difference between 2 and 3 threat levels.

Military Might is quite powerful at the start, Show of Force is probably the best 1XP imperial class card. It loses steam (i.e. heroes level up faster) towards the end of the campaign, but there's not much difference between the first and second side mission.

General advice for the rebels: do not purchase marginal upgrades (unless the IP allows a house rule of selling back at the same price). Some weapon modifications though will be useful throughout the campaign.

1 hour ago, a1bert said:

The first side mission is usually more swingy.

- For the heroes it's more swingy, because you are mostly with your starting weapons and a few class cards.
- For the Imperial Player it's more swingy, because the threat level is 2, and there's a big difference between 2 and 3 threat levels.

Military Might is quite powerful at the start, Show of Force is probably the best 1XP imperial class card. It loses steam (i.e. heroes level up faster) towards the end of the campaign, but there's not much difference between the first and second side mission.

Agreed - show of force is a real momentum swinger early on when focus is scarce.

If early side missions are swingy, and the reward is valuable (compared to others), do you think the better strategic move is to wait and play the riskier, early missions when less is on the line?

1 hour ago, a1bert said:

General advice for the rebels: do not purchase marginal upgrades (unless the IP allows a house rule of selling back at the same price). Some weapon modifications though will be useful throughout the campaign.

Absolutely! I wonder if the DH17 might be an exception though. With 550 credits we have the chance to buy it PLUS Tac Display (which we will use all game). Thus two heroes get upgraded for mission 2, verena gets to leverage the weapon to good effect once she gets Point Blank Shot, and it's only a loss of 100 credits once we sell it. DL-44 and hand Cannon also available. Is this heresy? Will @Deadwolf come through my screen to beat me with a Gaffi stick?

Hand Cannon is great with Loku (or with Disruption Cell if you have credits), but if Murne goes for Lead from the Front later, Hand Cannon would work for her very well too.

DH-17 is quite cheap, but it's also a bit swingy. DL-44 with Tactical Display is the "traditional choice".

Gaffi Stick is great.

I would probably play the hero mission now, because the threat level is still low. (But I have not played Born from Death, so cannot say how inherently swingy it is. Edit: it seems I have actually played it... )

5 hours ago, a1bert said:

Hand Cannon is great with Loku (or with Disruption Cell if you have credits), but if Murne goes for Lead from the Front later, Hand Cannon would work for her very well too.

We're hoping Hand Cannon turns up again because our Murne is banking XP for Lead From the Front. Thankfully, if we miss it, it looks like she can be a juggernaut with many weapons (I remember she crushed it in one of your campaigns a few years ago with HC). We did toy with grabbing it now, but then we end up with only 1 upgraded hero and we're hoping for a lot of early mission success!

5 hours ago, a1bert said:

DH-17 is quite cheap, but it's also a bit swingy. DL-44 with Tactical Display is the "traditional choice".

Gaffi Stick is great.

Ha ha! Has any weapon gone from such disdain to such love?

5 hours ago, a1bert said:

I would probably play the hero mission now, because the threat level is still low. (But I have not played Born from Death, so cannot say how inherently swingy it is.)

Yes, double theat/optional deployment is a lot more palatable at threat 2!

Thanks very much. Do you still play as much as you used to?

So the mission came down to one roll. Murne had to land a hit on a Nexu with her starter weapon and...she did! Rebels win "Born From Death" by the skin of their teeth!

And now Shyla gets to enjoy Mandalorian Heritage. Man, what a reward card. 😀