Star Wars Imperial Assault – count us in!

Just over a week ago, the largest board game convention in the US set another attendance record – 56,614! Representing a 14% increase from last year, it keeps getting more popular every year (4 years of +10% yr/yr growth). While we have yet to make it to GenCon, it’s definitely on my ‘must do’ list.

But even without going to the convention, we can enjoy what comes from it – great games!

For one, we were excited to read more details about King of New York – that we wrote about before GenCon. It’s going to be great.

The announcement from GenCon that we’re most excited for came from Fantasy Flight Games about Star Wars Imperial Assault.

With so many Star Wars related board games and card games, what makes Imperial Assault so special?

Because the format of the game is just like another hit board game that the boys and I love playing – Descent: Journeys in the Dark 2nd Edition.

Descent is set in a fantasy world where a group of heroes ventures out on a series of quests against a mighty overlord. As the campaigns progress, our characters and abilities become more powerful and we enjoy a lot of great strategic battles in dynamic quest maps.

So when we heard we’ll soon be able to battle in a similar manner in the Star Wars universe, how could we not get excited!

Check out what’s in store:

Imperial Assault casts you and your friends into the climatic events following the Death Star’s destruction above Yavin 4, and offers two full game experiences within the Star Wars universe.

CAMPAIGN:
The first game included in Imperial Assault is the campaign game, which allows up to five players to enter the Star Wars universe through a narrative story composed of over 30 possible linked missions. Every mission in Imperial Assault is constructed using some of over fifty double-sided interlocking map tiles, depicting a massive range of Star Wars environments, from the jungles of Yavin 4, to the dusty wastes of Tatooine, to the metallic corridors of an Imperial base. One player commands the limitless forces of the Galactic Empire, while up to four others play as heroes of the Rebellion, engaging in covert operations and missions. Both the forces of the Empire and the Rebel heroes gain new skills and items throughout the campaign, allowing characters to develop and grow as the story unfolds.

As the campaign progresses, your available missions can change dramatically based on the outcomes of past missions. With the variety of side missions included in Imperial Assault, you’ll never encounter the same campaign twice. You may be captured while investigating an Imperial base, or an old friend may suddenly call in some favors. Whether your mission is stealing data from encrypted Imperial consoles, silencing an Imperial distress beacon, or helping Han Solo settle his debts, every mission puts you in the center of the action in the Star Wars universe.

SKIRMISH:
Imperial Assault offers a completely distinct game experience in the skirmish game. Skirmish missions allow you and a friend to compete in head-to-head, tactical combat. You’ll muster your own teams of Imperial, Rebel, and Mercenary forces, and build decks of Command cards, which you can play to gain an unexpected advantage.

In a standard skirmish mission, you and your friend separately assemble teams of soldiers with iconic heroes and villains from the classic Star Wars films, and build decks of Command cards to give your warriors unexpected advantages in battle. Between choosing heroes, villains, and squads from three distinct factions, and building a command deck out of dozens of possible command cards, you’ll have plenty of options for customizing your strike force.

During the mission itself, you and your opponent battle over conflicting objectives. Whether you’re racing to escape with a deadly T-16 Skyhopper, or collecting contraband for the Hutts, you’ll find high stakes and tense, tactical combat in every Imperial Assault skirmish mission. You’ll be able to learn more about the skirmish game in future previews of Imperial Assault.

Now you can see why we’re so excited!

(Of course, I have a bad feeling about this…that most often I’ll be controlling the Galactic Empire forces while my boys team up to bring me down – just like they try to do in Descent.)

Let the waiting for the release in “early 2015” begin…

UPDATE DEC 2015: You can now see our full review of Star Wars: Imperial Assault here.