11 Best Star Wars Board Games in 2023

I’ve made a thorough research on the market in search of the Best Star Wars Board Games in 2023. After a lot of hard work, I’ve managed to bring down to 11 titles, which are presented in this article.

Introduction to Best Star Wars Board Games

Star Wars is the largest fairytale of modern sci-fi with millions of fans around the globe. It’s no wonder there are also plenty of Star Wars board games available.

You can easily become confused with all the titles, so this article is here to help you out. Out of all the licensed fluff that is cluttering the shelves, I believe the 11 games in this article are the ones you should be talking about and aiming for.

Most (not all) of the games are made with two players in mind. That’s not a surprise, since there are two opposing sides in Star Wars. You are limited to certain titles if you’re looking to accommodate more players or play solo.

We all know Star Wars is a money cow and the license owners are well aware that we are ready to pay a premium to feel like a part of it. You have to pick the expansions carefully, as the costs can quickly skyrocket.

Some games offer an almost inexhaustible pool of expansions (I’m looking at wargames), while a game like Rebellion only has one, well-thought-out add-on.

Emphasis on a strong theme, often with miniatures. This is a no-brainer. Star Wars universe is rich and popular and poor implementation of it would be like throwing money out of the window.

Combat and encounters are usually decided by dice, often combined with modifiers. That means there’s a certain element of luck present. I like to call it The Force.

How to Recognize a Good Board Game? (5 Steps)

There are affiliate links by the titles. I am affiliated with Amazon (as well as with some other stores) and will earn a commission if you buy something through my link.

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11. Star Wars: The Queen’s Gambit

Designers: Rob Daviau, Alan Roach, Craig Van Ness
Year published: 2000
Players: 2-4, best with 2
Playing time: 120 minutes
Complexity: light/medium

Setting and Objectives

If you paid attention to the game’s release date, you can already guess, where this one is set. That’s right, in your favorite Star Wars movie, The Phantom Menace.

The Queen’s Gambit focuses on the movie’s climax, the Battle of Naboo. Ideal for two players, you will control the Trade Federation or the Naboo in a four-front battle. Can you turn off the Droid Control Ship and capture the Federation’s Viceroys? Or can you capture the Palace, making things turn out differently than in the movies?

How is it played?

The Queen’s Gambit does not offer deep playing mechanics. Each round only has three simple phases:

1. Planning. Each player decides which 4 cards from his hand of 10 will he activate.
2. Action. Players now alternate playing the cards, activating units. Units will move and attack, with the battle outcome determined by rolling dice.
3. Draw. Players draw cards to a full hand of 10.

What makes the game tricky, are the aforementioned four fronts.

• The Plains of Naboo host a giant battle between Gungans and the Federation. The battle is a distraction, therefore doesn’t have a direct impact on the final result. But kill a group of soldiers, and you will win a bonus action card, that can have a big impact.
• The Starfield is a space battle. It’s about Anakin trying to make his way to the Droid Control Ship. This is done by rolling dice, while the Trade Federation player can play here to increase the number of required successful throws.
• The Generator Core. Do you remember the fight between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Darth Maul? You can steer the fight either way, with the winning Jedi/Sith made free to move into the Palace and slaughter the droids/guards.
• The Palace is our final location. It comes with three stories (that you build into a 3D object!) and will be the main objective of the Trade Federation, which wins if it captures it. Naboo guards are limited, while the Feds can bring reinforcements from the Plains. Jedi and Sith are also a big factor here.

Players must balance their actions between the fronts and don’t have the luxury to neglect any one of them for too long. This is where strategy plays a role and you’ll have to make some hard decisions.

But other than that, don’t expect this to be a deeply strategic game. This is a fun and quick dice-fest, where the minis will die in their dozens.

Strong points

• 4 different fronts play differently and players must balance between them.
• Simple to play.
• Very well-implemented theme with a lot of miniatures and other cool components.

Weak points

• Luck plays a very big role in the game.
• It’s out of print and hard to get for a reasonable price.

Is it for you?

If you liked The Phantom Menace or not, The Queen’s Gambit is an excellent interpretation of the final fight. You will love it if you’re looking for a light, Star Wars-themed dice-fest.

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10. Star Wars: Epic Duels

Designers: Rob Daviau, Craig Van Ness
Year published: 2002
Players: 2-6, best with 2 or 4
Playing time: 30 minutes
Complexity: light/medium

Setting and Objectives

Epic Duels is a battle arena with Star Wars characters. There isn’t much narrative, since the game is focused on battles. All combinations are available: Light side vs Dark side, one on one, customer teams, or free for all. 31 characters with miniatures and 4 maps are included.

The objective is to eliminate your opponent’s main character.

How is it played?

After choosing and placing their main characters, players will deploy one or two minor characters. They accompany and help major characters and are character-specific. I.e. Leia accompanies Luke.

The full list of characters is here:

• Anakin Skywalker with Padmé Amidala,
• Darth Maul with two Battle Droids,
• Obi-Wan Kenobi with two Clone Troopers,
• Yoda with two Clone Troopers,
• Luke Skywalker with Princess Leia,
• Mace Windu with two Clone Troopers,
• Darth Vader with two Stormtroopers,
• Count Dooku with two Super Battle Droids,
• Boba Fett with Greedo,
• Emperor Palpatine with two Royal Guards,
• Jango Fett with Zam Wesell and
• Han Solo with Chewbacca.

The gameplay itself is very simple and is based on dice (for moving) and taking two actions. As actions, you can Draw a card, Play a card, or Heal a character.

Cards determine your combat ability. Each character comes with his own 31 cards deck. You have Basic Combat cards (with values for attacking and defending), Power Combat Cards with additional effects, and Special cards, that allow your character to do unique things, like drawing extra cards, dealing more damage, peeking at the opponent’s hand, taking a free action, and so on.

The character’s health is tracked on the personal character chart.

The four scenes where you can fight are:

• Execution Arena on Geonosis,
• Carbon-Freeze Room,
• The Emperor’s Throne Room and
• a landing platform on Kamino.

As said, the game ends when the opponent or more of the is eliminated. The main appeal is the simplicity of combat, yet it offers a lot of tactical options on how you will play your cards, making it perfect for casual family play. 31 miniatures also add to the appeal.

Strong points

• Simple and very accessible rules.
• Excellent character selection with miniatures.

Weak points

• Out of print, therefore hard to get for a reasonable price.

Is it for you?

The title Star Wars: Epic Duels suits the game, as the battles are really fun and engaging. Everyone can play this and have fun instantly. The game still has an active community, even after almost 20 years since its release.

Well, almost everyone can play, since the game is long out of print and second-hand prices are through the roof.

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9. Star Wars: The Card Game

Designer: Eric M. Lang
Year published: 2012
Players: 2
Playing time: 30-60 minutes
Complexity: medium

Setting and Objectives

Star Wars: The Card Game is set in the original trilogy. The game is strictly for two players, each controlling one side of the Force (Rebels vs Empire) – the Rebels must destroy three objectives before the timer on the Death Star reaches 12.

How is it played?

Star Wars: The Card Game is a living card game. This means the base game has everything you need to play, but there are numerous pre-built decks available as expansions. For the full list of expansions, you can check Wiki.

The game comes with two decks of cards. The first is made of objective cards, representing various missions, while the second consists of:

• units (characters, vehicles, droids, and creatures),
• events,
• enhancements and
• fates.

Where the game stands out is the construction of the objective deck. It always consists of six cards – one objective card and five other cards, where the latter are the combination units, events, enhancements, and fates.

Starting decks are pre-build, but they can also be customized. They are constructed around cards of certain affiliations:

• Rebel Alliance,
• Smugglers and Spies,
• Jedi,
• Imperial Navy,
• Scum and Villainy,
• Sith.

Each player turn consists of the following phases:

1. The balance of the Force determines whether the Death Star dial advances.
2. The refresh phase resets the tokens on the board and clears the playing area.
3. The draw phase allows you to discard a card and draws a replacement.
4. Deployment allows you to play units and enhancements to your playing area.
5. The conflict phase is where you attempt to destroy your opponent’s objectives.
6. The Force phase is where you decide how many cards you want to commit to the Balance of the Force.

The Light Side player wins the game when:

• Three or more Dark Side objective cards are destroyed.
• The Dark Side player must draw a card from his command deck or objective deck, but that deck is empty.

The Dark Side player wins the game when:

• The Death Star dial advances to 12.
• The Light Side player must draw a card from his command deck or objective deck, but that deck is empty

Strong points

• Beautiful, movie-like illustrations on the cards.
• Dynamic and fun two-player gameplay.

Weak points

• Dark Side is a bit too strong.
• There are better LCGs available.
• Hard to find in stores.

Is it for you?

If you are looking for a Star Wars-themed living card game, then you have no other choice. But if you’re not that strict about the theme, there are better LCGs available:

• Arkham Horror: The Card Game
• Lord of the Rings: The Card Game
• Marvel Champions: The Card Game

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8. Risk: Star Wars Edition

Designers: James D’Aloisio, Austin Rucker, Craig Van Ness
Year published: 2015
Players: 2-4, best with 2
Playing time: 30-45 minutes
Complexity: light/medium

Setting and Objectives

Do you remember the ending of Return of the Jedi? Where the story culminates into a fight on three fronts and the movie jumps from one to another, covering them all?

This is exactly how Risk: Star Wars Edition is set up. The board, shaped like a TIE-fighter, covers three situations:

• In the center, Rebel ships are attempting to destroy the Death Star.
• On the second front, the Rebels try to take down the shield generator on Endor.
• The third front covers the showdown between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

Victory conditions are the same as in the movie: Rebels must take down the shield generator and destroy the Death Star, while the Empire must prevent the destruction of the Death Star by destroying Rebel ships.

How is it played?

First of all, I’m not sure why the publisher chose the name Risk, because this is definitely not Risk as you know it. You’re not controlling continents/territories and you choose your actions with a clever order cards system.

In each turn, you will choose three of your six hand cards as your actions for the turn. There are several combinations available, but generally, you will have options on which of the three fronts you will fight (move, attack, etc.).

This is where it gets clever – you have to stack the cards in advance in the order you intend to use them. This requires some predicting and speculating. In the worst-case scenario, you can end up with a dead turn (should you order your troops to defend Endor, but the generator has been destroyed in the meanwhile, for example).

After your turn, you draw three more cards and the cycle continues. The result of a specific battle is dictated by dice, so there’s one part that is very Risk-like.

Of the three stages, the central Death Star is obviously crucial, but you can’t complete it if you neglect Endor. The Skywalker’s showdown is not essential for victory, but you can reap high bonuses (in form of extra order cards) if you defeat your opponent. Even more, if you manage to redeem Anakin (by playing the right card when Vader’s health is low).

Strong points

• Simple, easy, and fast gameplay.
• Very good thematic implementation of Return of the Jedi.
• Cheap.

Weak points

• Very luck-dependant.

Is it for you?

While it’s not exactly like Risk, Risk: Star Wars Edition shares similarities with it. It’s a simple and fun experience for casual players that covers all the focal points of Return of the Jedi.

If you’re in for some light fun and don’t mind the dice, this is as close to the elusive Queen’s Gambit as you can get.

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7. Star Wars: Armada

Designers: James Kniffen, Christian T. Petersen
Year published: 2015
Players: 2
Playing time: 120 minutes
Complexity: medium

Setting and Objectives

Imagine a table full of miniatures, engaged in space combat of grand scales. With Star Destroyers. Something like the assault on the Death Star from Return of the Jedi.

How is it played?

Star Wars: Armada is a two-player miniatures wargame. That means there’s no standard board to play on – you set your pieces out on the table and then measure the distances with a ruler, and calculate hits based on how the ships are positioned.

Where it stands out compared to Star Wars: X-Wing is the combat of capital ships. Normally in wargames, you move first and attack second and this is exactly how smaller squadrons of X-Wings and TIE fighters work.

But with capital ships, you have to plan ahead. They attack first and then move, making you anticipate what will happen and be there before it does. Moreover, the larger they are, the more turns in advance you have to adjust their speed.

This requires a very strategic play with your capital ships, while on the other hand, the fighters are very flexible and can react quicker.

But only if they’re not engaged in a dogfight – in this case, they can only attack. Combat is resolved with dice (and defensive tokens) and is the one thing that could be improved.

You have to play each ship to its strengths. Star Destroyers are slow, have very durable hulls, and can shoot only to the front, while Rebel ships are smaller, punchier, but also weaker.

The rules, while not the simplest, are very streamlined and the gameplay is smooth. The bendable rulers make the ship’s movement easy. Your only job is to focus on how to outmaneuver and outsmart your opponent.

Speaking of miniatures wargames, Armada has another thing in common with them – that’s the price point. Even the base game itself is on the expensive side, but start adding an almost infinite number of available expansions (pretty much every vessel that ever appeared in Star Wars is available), the expenses can skyrocket.

Strong points

• Deep tactical-strategic combat with massive ships.
• A large number of expansions and modules.

Weak points

• It can get expensive.

Is it for you?

If you’re a Star Wars fan that’s into miniatures (large ships come painted) and wargames, Armada is an excellent choice. There is an alternative, though. It’s X-Wing (scroll a bit lower).

 

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6. Star Wars: Destiny

Designers: Corey Konieczka, Lukas Litzsinger
Year published: 2016
Players: 2
Playing time: 30 minutes
Complexity: light/medium

Setting and Objectives

With this title, we’re delving into the latest trilogy. The initial starter sets of Destiny were either Rey or Kylo Ren flavored. Later on, General Grievous, Obi-Wan, Boba Fett, and Luke Skywalker starter sets were added.

Destiny is a card-collecting dueling game (think Magic: The Gathering) that combines elements of dice-rolling.

How is it played?

Half of the fun of Destiny consists of constructing your deck. It’s made of 30 cards and beginners can use pre-built starter decks.

The object of the game is to reduce your opponent’s heroes’ hit points to zero. You do that by playing cards from your hand and combining them with dice, that determine your attack power, resources, and special abilities.

In their turn, players take one action at a time:

• Playing a card from your hand (events, upgrades, or support) and playing appropriate cost in resources.
• Exhaust a character or support, roll dice, and add them to your dice pool. Each character uses a personal set of dice, making their abilities unique.
• Use dice from your pool. Rolled symbols determine the type and strength of the available attack, gain resources, and activate other abilities.
• Discard a card to re-roll a die.
• Use a special ability from a card.
• End the round and receive a bonus for finishing first.

At the end of the round, cards are unexhausted. Players gain resources and draw up – back to five hand cards.

The game ends when characters on one side die or if a player runs out of cards. This works as a natural timer and makes the game tenser.

It also adds another layer of strategy – you can use actions that make your opponent discard cards and put him under pressure that way.

What makes Destiny special is the usage of dice, which determine the actions the player can take and not the outcome. This makes them more important to the point, that they are equally valuable as the cards.

Players will need to play with this in mind and plan around the available actions. Still, there is an inevitable element of luck present in the rolls. It’s not game-breaking (strategy still plays a big part), but it’s there.

As is the case with collectible card games, several different types of boosters are available. While every booster contains a rare or legendary card, you will more often than not get useless cards.

Your options are to buy more boosters (throw more money at the problem) or boycott CCGs altogether.

In 2017, however, a third option appeared. Star Wars: Destiny – Two-Player Game features a mix of previously released Destiny cards and brand new characters, upgrades, supports, battlefields, and events.

It contains everything needed for a two-player game and is a good entry point if you can stop there. This is the pack I recommend buying.

Strong points

• Top-notch components with excellent theme implementation.
• Good mix of card and dice mechanics.

Weak points

• Uses the CCG retail model.

Is it for you?

Star Wars: Destiny is a very good card/dice dueling game. Its only drawback is that it’s a CCG. But, if you’re looking for a Star Wars-themed CCG, Destiny is your winner.

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5. Star Wars: Legion

Designers: Alex Davy, Luke Eddy
Year published: 2018
Players: 2
Playing time: 120-180 minutes
Complexity: medium

Setting and Objectives

Star Wars: Legion is another miniatures wargame. But there are no spaceships here, Legion is focused on ground combat between Rebels and the Empire.

Although there are several extra units available, the base box is set on Endor. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader feature as leaders of the factions.

Unlike X-Wing and Armada, Legion puts more focus on the minis. This time they come unassembled and unpainted. Preparing them for the battle is a hobby in itself that can consume numerous hours and dollars.

The core set comes with 33 minis, 8 barricades, a ruler, movement tools, 15 custom dice, tokens to keep track of everything, and cards.

How is it played?

The game is fairly easy to learn, especially with the Learn to Play manual, which features a tutorial battle. That means the gameplay, divided into six rounds, flows smoothly.

A round starts with players deciding on their command cards. This determines the order of play and also how the units activate.

The activated unit performs two actions, such as moving or attacking. You can take the move action twice. Moving is aided by the aforementioned movement tools, while the combat outcome is decided by dice.

Game mechanics such as line-of-sight, suppression, abilities, upgrade cards, and terrain add the necessary complexity. As said, there are some basic barricades included, but with a bit of imagination (or some investment) you can create anything you want.

The game comes alive with brilliantly painted miniatures and some custom terrain and the immersion is second to none. You’ll feel like you’re right there with Luke, guiding your troops to battle.

With very appealing game mechanics, easy-to-assemble miniatures, and a popular theme, Star Wars: Legion is one of the best ways to get into the wargaming hobby. And with all the available add-ons, you’re sure to end up with an empty wallet.

Strong points

• Excellent gateway into the wargaming hobby, but still offers enough depth for seasoned wargamers.
• Very good miniatures.

Weak points

• The core box is barely enough to start, you need one per player for comfortable play.

Is it for you?

If you’re one of those guys that looked at Warhammer tables with awe and fear at the same time, Star Wars: Legion offers a great path into wargames.

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4. Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition

Designers: Jason Little, Frank Brooks
Year published: 2018
Players: 2
Playing time: 30-45 minutes
Complexity: medium

Setting and Objectives

Just like Armada, which we spoke of before, X-Wing is a miniatures wargame. The difference lies in the scale. X-Wing is about dogfights between fighters.

Originally released in 2012, the revised Second Edition streamlines the rules, balances out, and standardizes the expansions that were released prior.

How is it played?

The base game comes with three ships (one X-Wing and two TIE fighters) and a bunch of rulers, dice, tokens, and cards.

You start out by building your squad – that is equipping your ship with a pilot, droids, and abilities. There are several pre-built builds available, but you can make your own, of course. The gameplay itself is split into logical phases, out of which the most interesting is the Planning phase.

In this phase, you will decide in secrecy, what your ship’s movement is going to be for the turn. Straight ahead, turn, sharp turn – you select your move on a dial and then expose it simultaneously with the other player. Moves are then carried out with the help of special rulers.

Aiming to get the opponent in range and arc of your guns and preventing him from doing the same, while never knowing what he is going to do, is what gives X-Wing such tactical depth and makes it a great game. It feels exactly like it should: a tense dogfight between two pilots.

When the guns are on target, the outcome is determined by dice, modified by your stats. When the number of hits equals the ship’s hull value, it is destroyed.

The rules are simple and easy to understand, the miniatures are pre-built and pre-painted and there’s even some terrain included. All in all, this makes it a perfect game for beginners to get in.

For advanced players, there’s the aforementioned cat-and-mouse tactical play and numerous additional minis and expansions available. You can spend as much money as you want on Star Wars: X-Wing.

Strong points

• Great recreation of Star Wars dogfights.
• Easy to get into, but still offers plenty of tactical depth.
• A large number of expansions and modules.

Is it for you?

If Armada is too complex and expensive for you, X-Wing is cheaper and much easier to get into. It’s the best dogfighting Star Wars miniature wargames.

 

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3. Star Wars: Outer Rim

Designers: Corey Konieczka, Tony Fanchi
Year published: 2019
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 120-180 minutes
Complexity: light/medium

Setting and Objectives

As the title suggests, the game is set in the notorious Outer Rim, home of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers. Star Wars: Outer Rim is designed as a sandbox game. You will have to decide which planets to visit, complete jobs, deliver cargo, or capture bounties.

For example, you can play Han Solo and develop the character opposite as it was in the movies. Or try to beat the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, the choice is yours. The goal of the game is to collect enough fame (victory points) with these significant deeds. The first player to a specified number of VP wins.

How is it played?

The first thing that pops into your eyes is the semi-circular game board. The design is very clever; it’s modular and the space inside the half-circle is used for card decks for planets, markets, and events.

The components are of high quality (player boards are dual-layered, for example), but this time, there are no miniatures, only tokens, and standees. This is a design choice and not necessarily a bad thing. It does reduce the price a bit, of course.

The gameplay is fairly straightforward. Players will have options like, interacting, moving, staying put (and healing).

What makes the game come to life, are the storytelling elements. You never know what exactly will happen when you meet new contacts and interact with planets (you can estimate it to a degree). It depends on your reputation and the cards you draw. For example, if your reputation is positive, the patrol ships will let you go, while they will engage you if you have a bad reputation.

The outcome of the combat is determined by dice and luck plays a role. As it does with various other character tests, they are also solved with dice. There are items in the game, that can sway the odds in your favor.

The narrative is a strong trump card of Outer Rim. The Star Wars universe is implemented very well, the characters progress and make connections with players.

Star Wars: Outer Rim – Unfinished Business (2022) is an expansion that adds a lot of content: new cards, characters, gear, bounties, jobs, and so on. It’s a great addition that generously increases the lifespan of the game.

Strong points

• You write your own story as you and your character progress.
• Good board design.
• Plays fairly well in solo mode.

Weak points

• Dice and the element of luck.

Is it for you?

If you’re looking for more of an open-world adventure (if you want to be a pirate in the Star Wars universe), choosing your path, and writing your destiny, Star Wars: Outer Rim is a great choice.

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2. Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Designers: Justin Kemppainen, Corey Konieczka, Jonathan Ying
Year published: 2014
Players: 1-5
Playing time: 60-120 minutes
Complexity: medium

Setting and Objectives

Imperial Assault is set in the original trilogy and you play either as the Rebels or the Empire. As Rebels, players will go on missions to harm the Empire, acquire information, or sabotage things.

Standing against them will be only one player (a Dungeon Master) controlling the Empire’s forces.

How is it played?

Imperial Assault is a 1-vs-many dungeon crawler type of game. It takes its game mechanics from Descent, a very successful dungeon crawler with countless expansions.

Missions are connected to a campaign, so it’s not just a bunch of skirmishes, but a cohesive adventure, where your characters progress, acquire new skills and items, and make important decisions on how to spend money between missions.

The other side is not just a dungeon master, but an active player, trying to hinder Rebel’s progress by throwing enemies at them. But he has to carefully weigh which soldiers will he enlist. The cheapest stormtroopers or something more powerful, like Darth Vader?

The gameplay in missions is pretty straightforward. You activate a unit and spend two action points. Most of the time, you’ll move and attack, because Empire will more often than not outnumber you. Combat (both offensive and defensive) is resolved with custom dice, taking into account character stats, abilities, and items (weapons).

Missions are a combination of fighting your way through the forces and rushing. You can’t kill every Empire troop, but you must get to the objective and complete it before the Empire overruns you. This creates tension up to the very end of a mission, as you never know if you’ll succeed or will all of your Rebels die.

Expansions

There are 50 expansions available, both small and large. They include new miniatures, heroes, enemies, allies, map tiles, cards, and whole new campaigns.

The choice is large and you can spend a lot of money on them. I’d recommend starting with just the base game and customizing the game to your liking later.

One expansion that I should mention is the free Star Wars: Imperial Assault – Legends of the Alliance app. It works as the Dungeon Master (the Empire player), which allows the remaining player(s) to play co-op or even solo.

Strong points

• An engaging experience for both sides where your decisions really matter.
• Star Wars theme creates a fun and tense experience.
• Game mechanics are not overly complicated. (And also vastly improved compared to Descent.)
• Plenty of expansions are available.

Weak points

• Game mechanics are not as refined as with some other games and there are still some issues dragging from Descent.

Is it for you?

If you’re into dungeon crawlers and Star Wars, this is the game for you. It may not have deep and complex game mechanics like Gloomhaven, but it does not care about that. It cares about having fun. And blasting through stormtroopers while you’re speaking to your buddies with Yoda’s voice is just that – fun.

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1. Star Wars: Rebellion

Designer: Corey Konieczka
Year published: 2016
Players: 2
Playing time: 180-240 minutes
Complexity: medium/heavy

Star Wars: Rebellion is set in the original trilogy and it revolves around the Rebels-Empire dynamics, this time on a grand scale. Each player controls one side and has complete power over what they do. The Rebel player must first decide on the secret location of their base, while the Empire player will use all of his mighty resources to locate it.

You move your detailed miniatures on the map of the galaxy: Coruscant, Kashyyk, Naboo, Mandalore, Tatooine, and even Alderaan. You can even destroy planets with the Death Star.

The sides are highly asymmetric and their gameplay and victory conditions are significantly different: The Empire must find and obliterate the Rebel base, while the Rebels, militarily overmatched, must rely on other methods. Stealing intelligence, sabotaging, and rallying the planets are their methods to sway the galaxy into a full-scale revolt.

There is a lot of room for strategy and deception on the map for both sides. Grand battles are only a part of the equation. Sometimes they are used as mere decoys, to lure the enemy away from the real target. Or is that just what he wants you to think?

There are over 150 plastic miniatures (Stormtroopers, TIE fighters, Star Destroyers, the Death Star, X-Wing fighters, Corellian corvettes, rebel troopers…) and they really make the board come alive.

The famous characters are another ace up Rebellion’s sleeve: Han Solo, Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and many others can also move on the map, helping your troops, do secret missions, and have all sorts of different benefits each. Using them wisely can make a big difference!

Expansion

Star Wars: Rebellion – Rise of the Empire is the right address if you want to deepen your Rebellion experience. More famous characters, miniatures, cards, features, mechanics, and other stuff will add a lot of variety and freshness to the game. The expansion further improves the already good game, making it a must-buy for serious players.

Strong points

• Immersive Star Wars experience with all the licensed names, locations, and vehicles.
• Excellent miniatures.
• Brilliant cat-and-mouse two-player duel.

Weak points

• Steep learning curve.

Is it for you?

Star Wars: Rebellion is hands down one of the best Star Wars board games. It covers the best bits of the original trilogy and is a hefty game.

That’s also its main disadvantage, as games demand a lot of dedication and time. But if you and one of your friends dedicate themselves to the game, you will be rewarded heavily.

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