"That Was One In a Million!" - "Star Wars Rebellion" and "Rise of the Empire"

As a fourteen-year-old nerd growing up in the 80's, Star Wars Rebellion would have been the game of my dreams. Thanks to 1981's Axis & Allies, I was already predisposed to the idea of an epic, grand-strategic wargame, so something that let me recreate an alternate history of THE HOLY TRILOGY would have absolutely shattered my fragile eggshell mind.

How much of the game I would have grokked and played properly back in the day is anyone's guess. Heck, even as an adult with decades of experience in the hobby, I still struggle to wrangle games this vast and sprawling. Having said that, younger me would have had the advantages of a sharper brain and less distractions...cardboard or otherwise. 

Anyhoo, here's my "mission statement" for this post:

(1) If you're curious about the game, I hope to provide enough information for you to decide if you should buy it or not. 'Cuz, between the base game and the expansion, dis sucka ain't cheap. 

(2) I've included a three round session replay which will hopefully put the rules in context for you. 

(3) I also willingly threw myself onto the ol' thermal detonator and digested the incredibly-dry "Rules Reference" as well as the Rise of the Empire addendum in an effort to flesh out the well-intended (but ultimately sketchy and incomplete) "Learn to Play" book. 

So, first up: what is Star Wars Rebellion?

Simply put: it's a two-player, grand strategic recreation of the original Star Wars Trilogy. The goal of the Rebels: survive long enough to generate enough sympathy to their cause and topple the evil Galactic Empire. The goal of the Imperials: find the Rebel Base and stamp out any pockets of resistance before the spark of revolution sweeps across the galaxy. 

How is it played? Well, a round begins with both factions secretly assigning famous Leaders to various Missions. Then, starting with the Rebels, they take turns revealing said Missions and trying to accomplish them. Certain Missions can be opposed by Leaders in reserve and success (or failure) is determined by a dice roll.

Leaders can also be placed in Systems to move fleets and occupy / liberate planets. If there are opposing forces there, space and / or ground battles can occur. Battles use the same customized dice, the results of which can be augmented by the use of Tactics Cards and Leader re-rolls. Thanks in large part to the combat tweaks provided by the obligatory Rise of the Empire expansion, clashes are quick and decisive. 

Missions and military actions can sway certain systems to the Rebel's cause or the Empire impose Loyalty or Subjugation on its citizens. This, in turn, will determine what new units are produced for both factions at the end of the round. Over the course of play, the Rebels will attempt to complete Objectives and Missions to generate support for their cause and develop their nascent military. Meanwhile, the Empire will use its massive resources to build terrifying new weapons of war in an effort to snuff out any dissension.

Wanna generate "A New Hope" for the galaxy? Well, try and tag the ol' thermal exhaust port of rules right here.

***

STAR WARS REBELLION - EXTENDED EXAMPLE OF PLAY   

Starting Rebel Player Objective Card: "Crippling Blow." 

ROUND ONE

ASSIGNMENT

The Rebels assign Mon Mothma, Jan Dodonna and Leia to Missions. The Imperials task Vader, the Emperor and Tarkin to their own secret goals.

COMMAND

Leia attempts a "Sabotage" on Corellia. She isn’t opposed..and rolls one Success, so the manufacturing on the planet is temporarily crippled!

Vader endeavors to "Capture (a) Rebel Operative"...namely Leia! Opposed by Leia herself and Rieekan...who's played from reserve! The Sith Lord rolls three dice and gets two Successes but the Rebels tie with two of their own, so the General manages help the Princess escape!

Dodonna attempts an unopposed “Infiltration” on Mandalore. He scores the "Crossed Sabers" icon…that's two Successes! He puts “Support of the Hutts” on top and buries “Regional Support.”     

Tagge dispatches a Star Destroyer (loaded down with 2 TIE’s, a Striker, two Stormtrooper legions and an AT-ST) to Mygeeto but doesn’t land any troops.

Mon Mothma visits the Hutts with "Build Alliance", rolls three dice and gets four (!) Successes! Nal Hutta gets a Rebel Loyalty Marker!

Palpatine attempts to “Rule (Mygeeto) by Fear”! He scores two Successes, adding an Imperial Loyalty Marker to that space!  

Finally, Tarkin shows up in Corellia for some “Research & Development.” He removes the Sabotage marker and draws a Project Card: “Oversee Project.”

REFRESH

(1) All Leaders come back.

(2) Each faction draws two new Mission Cards. 

(3) Probe Droids show that the Rebel base isn’t on Nal Hutta or Malastare.

(4) The “Support of the Hutts” Objective is drawn.

(5) Time Marker Advances

RECRUIT

The Rebels draw “Noble Sacrifice” and “Human Cyborg Relations” from their Action Deck. Obi-Wan emerges from the wastelands of Tatooine! Meanwhile, the Imperials promote Krennic with their “Secret Facility” Action card and bury “Keep Them From Escaping.” Since this triggers "Immediately", the Imperial player conceals the Nal Hutta card underneath it!

BUILD

The Rebel Base produces an X-Wing and Trooper, Loyal Kashyyyk yields two Rebel Troopers and Nal Hutta provides the raw material needed to crank out a Rebel Trooper and X-Wing. All are placed in the first Build Queue Space! 

The following Imperial units are placed in their first Build Queue space: an AT-ST from Saleucami, a Trooper from (Subjugated) Mandalore and a Trooper for Coruscant. The second Build Queue Space gets a TIE and AT-AT from (Loyal) Mygeeto, an Assault Tank from (Subjugated) Sullust and a TIE and Assault Carrier from Mustafar. Loyal Corellia cranks out a TIE and a Star Destroyer!        

DEPLOY

Coruscant gets two Stormtroopers. The AT-AT and Scout Walker are deployed in Toydaria, for use in Vader's task force. They drop the AT-ST in Mygeeto and one Trooper each in Saleucami and Mustafar.  (NOTE: for some bizarre reason I didn't properly record the Imperial Deployments. If my fevered brain eventually knits together what actually happened, I'll fix it.) 

The Rebels add an X-Wing to the Rebel Base, an X-wing and Trooper to Nal Hutta, two Troopers in Kashyyyyk and a Trooper to Bothawui.

ROUND TWO

ASSIGNMENT

Mon Mothma, Rieekan and Obi-Wan tackle Missions for the Alliance while the Imperials put Krennic, Tarkin and Palpatine into the field.  

COMMAND

Dodonna leads a delegation to Toydaria from Nal Hutta / Bothawui, consisting of two X-Wings, a Y-Wing, a Corvette, a Transport, two Troopers and a Speeder.

In a twist, the Imperials reveal their “Secret Facility” Action Card…on Nal Hutta! A Shield Bunker and an Assault Tank suddenly appear from out of nowhere, resulting in a skirmish!

***

COMBAT

ROUND ONE

GROUND BATTLE

The Empire plays “Armored Patrol” and the Rebels spring “Hold Them Back.” The Imperials opt to prevent two Black Successes, but the point is moot since the Rebel Tactic Card straight up destroys a triangular ground unit…it doesn’t even roll dice! As such, the Shield Generator is also destroyed!

***

Vader leads his Star Destroyer, the Devastator (stocked with two TIE’s, two Troopers, an AT-AT and an AT-ST) to Toydaria from Saleucami. This results in a battle!

***

COMBAT

ROUND ONE

SPACE BATTLE

The Imperial Player reveals “Bombardment” but it’s cancelled by the Rebel’s “Outrun Them”! 

The Star Destroyer and two TIE's roll two Red Successes, a Black Success and a Success on either color. Vader’s Tactic Value lets him re-roll the blank…gaining him another hit in either color! 

The Rebel counter-attack features two X-Wings, a Corvette and a Y-Wing. They roll a blank, two Successes on Black, a Red Success and a Red / Black Success. Dodonna’s Tactics skill lets him re-roll the miss...and he gets a Red / Black Success! 

This simultaneous damage wipes out all of the starfighters on both sides as well as the Corvette. Three (!) hits are dealt to the Star Destroyer, very nearly destroying it! 

GROUND BATTLE

The Imperials table “Overrun” (dealing damage to the Speeder and a Trooper) and the Rebels play “Tow Cables”, which drops the AT-AT with four damage!!!

The AT-AT rolls two Successes for both colors and one Black Success! The AT-ST rolls a Success on Red and a damage on either. One Trooper misses and the other lands a Success on Black. Vader prompts a re-roll and gets another blank!               

The Rebel counter-attack scores two damage on Black Units (killing the Troopers), one on a Red (the AT-ST) and a Crossed Sabers icon, which blocks one damage. Since the Imperial overkill makes this result effectively useless, Dodonna re-rolls this die and gets a Success on any color, resulting in a mutual wipe-out!

ROUND TWO

SPACE BATTLE

The Rebel player uses Dodonna to retreat their remaining Transport from Toydaria to Bothawui, ending the scrap. With the Combat ended, all damage is repaired on Vader's Star Destroyer. Toydaria is still free…for the moment!  

***

With three successes, Mon Mothma easily sways Kessel to their cause via “Build Alliance”!  

Rolling a "Crossed Sabers" result on one of his three dice, the Emperor convinces the Toydarians that the Rebels were coming to them as aggressors. The presence of an orbiting Star Destroyer certainly helps his “Rule by Fear” argument! As a result, they gain a Loyalty Marker there!  

Obi-Wan attempts an Unopposed “Infiltration” in Sollust. He scores two Successes and draws “The Long War” and “Decisive Victory”, places the former on the top and the latter at the bottom of the deck.  (NOTE: with "Infiltration" it's pretty easy to mess up and add the selected card to your hand, but you're supposed to put it back on top of the deck and pick it up during the Refresh Phase.)  

"Oversee Project": Krennic shows up in Ilum to light a fire under the Death Star's construction crew. Since no Rebel has the Logistics Skill, the effort goes Unopposed. He does indeed get a Success…and the battle station is now fully armed and operational! 

Rieekan attempts a "Sabotage" in Corellia and rolls Crossed Sabers for two Successes! The industry there is temporarily disrupted... 

...but not for long! Tarkin bombs into Corellia and performs damage control via "Research & Development." Since it’s a “Resolve” Mission, no roll is required and the damage is repaired. They also draw “Construct Factory” from the Project Deck. 

Leia uses a Command action to evacuate the Rebels Transport, moving it from from Bothawui to Tatooine.

Via an Assault Carrier, Tagge Commands two TIE’s, a Trooper and an Assault Tank to Alderaan from Corsucant. The subsequent ground landing on the planet Subjugates it!   

Before the Refresh Phase, the Rebels table “Support of the Hutts”, giving them one Reputation point!

REFRESH PHASE

(1) All Leaders return to the Leader Pool. 

(2) Each faction draws two Missions. 

(3) Probe Droids eliminate Yavin and Cato Neimodia as possibilities for the Rebel Base!

(4) The Rebels add "The Long War" into their hand. (NOTE: I originally drew “Heart of the Empire” here after adding "The Long War" into my hand during Obi-Wan's successful "Infiltration.")

(5) Time marker advanced to Round Three. 

RECRUIT

Han Solo shows up for the Rebellion and “Start the Evacuation” is buried. Meanwhile, Boba Fett takes a contract for the Empire and “Scouting Mission” is turfed.

BUILD

Build Queue Level One: Loyal Saleucami produces an AT-ST, Subjugated Mandalore offers up an Assault Tank, Loyal Kessel yields a Rebel Trooper, Loyal Kashyyyk spawns one Trooper and one Vanguard, the Rebel Base knocks out a Y-Wing and a Vanguard, Subjugated Alderaan produces a  Stormtrooper, Loyal Nal Hutta cranks out a Rebel Trooper and X-Wing, Loyal Bothawui rolls out a  Turret, Loyal Naboo yields a Trooper and X-Wing and Loyal Corsucant drops a Stormtrooper,

Build Queue Level Two: Loyal Mygeeto produces one TIE and an AT-AT, Loyal Toydaria produces an Assault Carrier, Subjugated Sullust gives up a Trooper, and Mustafar builds a TIE and a Carrier.  

Build Queue Level Three: Loyal Corellia manufactures a Star Destroyer and a Striker. 

(6)   DEPLOY 

Nal Hutta gets the Turret and a Vanguard. A Y-Wing and a Vanguard rolls out at the Rebel Base. Two X-Wings guard Naboo. Two Wookiee Troopers emerge on Kashyyyk. Two Rebel Troopers pop up on Bothawui.

Toydaria gets the Walker and Scout Walker. A Trooper and Tank guard Mygeeto. A Carrier orbits Coruscant. Ilum gets a TIE and a Tank. Mustafar gets garrisoned by a Trooper. 

ROUND THREE

ASSIGNMENT

Rieekan, Obi-Wan, Mon Mothma and Leia are given Missions while Dodonna is held in reserve.    

Palpatine, Tarkin, Fett and Vader all take on tasks while both Tagge and Krennic are kept back.

COMMAND

The Rebels place Han in Kashyyyk and play “An Old Friend.” Chewbacca shows up! 

Mon Mothma’s “Mobilization” moves the Transport and two Troopers in Tatooine to the hidden Rebel Base! Krennic navigates the Death Star to Ord Mantell, leaving a Tank to garrison Ilum! 

Leia attempts to “Build an Alliance” with the Mon Calamari. The Imperials don’t oppose her and she rolls a blank and a Success, so the negotiations prove fruitful and they become Loyal! Fett shows up on Kashyyyk to “Gather Intel”, revealing “Blindside” to prevent any opposition. Two Probe cards eliminate Dantooine and Bothawui! 

Obi-Wan attempts an “Infiltration” in Coruscant. He gets two Successes on three dice, picks up "Heart of the Empire" and “Rebel Cell”, discards the former and top-decks the latter. (NOTE: since I'd originally added "Heart of the Empire" into my hand, that led me to pick up "Rebel Cell" and “Seize Control”, then bury the latter and put the former on top of the draw pile. Mercifully I don't think this cascading error had an effect on this final turn.) Vader attempts to capture Obi-Wan with “Capture Rebel Operative.” No one has Spec Ops to oppose him, and the resulting roll is five Successes! The pupil captures the mentor!

Rieekan targets Corellia for “Sabotage." Unopposed, he rolls a single Success, which is enough to knock out production there...again! With the orbiting Death Star helping his case, the Emperor tries to sweet talk Ord Mantell and the resulting three Successes are more than enough to inspire Imperial "Loyalty" there!

The Rebels pass. Tagge directs the Star Destroyer Avenger (replete with three Stormtrooper legions, an AT-ST and two TIE squadrons) to investigate Dagobah. When they send scouts down to the planet's surface (via a bumpy landing) they determine that it’s very, very damp…and frustratingly Rebel-free.

The Rebels pass again. (NOTE: once you pass in the Command Phase, your turn is effectively over.) Tarkin oversees “Construct Factory” which removes the Sabotage Token and decrees the production of yet another Star Destroyer and TIE in the third space of the Build Queue. 

REFRESH PHASE

At the start of the Refresh Phase, the Rebels complete “The Long War” by throwing away “Crippling Blow” and “Heart of the Empire” to gain another bump on the Reputation Track! 

(1) All Leaders return to their respective pools. 

(2) Draw Missions: the Imperials get “Interrogation Droid” and “Probe Droid Initiative.” The Rebels get “Assault” and “My Only Hope.”

(3) Ord Mantell is pulled from the Probe Deck. This is a useless revelation, since the Imperials already know that there ain’t no Rebels there. Conversely, Endor’s subsequent reveal is much more interesting food for thought.

(4) The Rebels draw a new Objective Card: “Death Star Plans.”

(5) The Time Marker Advances to Round Five!

RECRUIT

The Rebel Action Card "Undercover" Features Lando and Obi-Wan while "Rebel Planning" shows Dodonna. They opt for the latter and bury the former. 

The Empire gets "Local Rumors" and "Target the Generator" and decides to introduce Colonel Wulf Yularen over Veers. 

BUILD

Build Queue Level One: Rebel Base provides an X-Wing and Vanguard, Subjugated Mandalore gets a Tank, Loyal Saleucami gets an AT-ST, Kaskyyyk gets two Troopers, Kessel gets a Trooper, Nal Hutta gets a Vanguard and U-Wing, Bothawui gets a Speeder, Coruscant develops a Trooper, Naboo cranks out a Trooper and an X-Wing. 

Build Queue Level Two: Loyal Mygeeto: TIE and AT-AT, Ord Mantell: Assault Carrier and AT-ST,  Toydaria gets an Assault Carrier, Subjugated Sullust can only produce a Trooper, Loyal Mustafar can only produce a TIE since all Carriers are in play.

Build Queue Level Three: Mon Calamari gets a Cruiser and X-Wing, all Star Destroyers are currently in play so Corellia it can only produce a Striker. 

(6) DEPLOY

Naboo gets a Trooper and a Vanguard. Kashyyyk is patrolled by a U and an X-Wing. Nal Hutta gets a Speeder and a Trooper. Mon Cal is guarded by a Trooper and an X-Wing. The Rebel Base gets a Trooper and a Vanguard. 

Alderaan gets a Star Destroyer and Walker. Ord Mantell garrisons two Troopers. Toydaria gets a Scout and a Tank. Corellia musters a Carrier and a TIE. Mustafar gets a Carrier and a TIE. Saleucami gets a TIE. 

To be continued...?

***

REVIEW

THE GOOD

• Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give is that every single one of the mechanics perfectly  compliment the theme. In fact: this game is so well designed it actually made the logistics of the original trilogy more believable to me. Talk about an achievement. 
• Unlike War of the Ring, the main Star Wars characters aren't just nigh-indistinguishable minis that abstractly influence politics, perform re-rolls and act as meat-shields for the Fellowship. Here characters have thematically-appropriate skills that help them complete missions and command massive fleets of starships. It's an absolute revelation.
• No one in their right mind could possibly look at the production of this thing and find it lacking in any way. The board is a work of art, the graphic design of the cards is unparalleled and - despite their small scale - the miniatures are both ludicrously detailed and very sturdy. This game is truly a Cadillac in the hobby.
• The goal of the game and its win conditions are in perfect lock-step with the films. The Imperials are constantly trying to put out fires whilst seeking to find and fumigate what they see as a rat's nest. The Rebellion, meanwhile, keep to the shadows and use diplomatic wrangling and guerrilla tactics to snowball an epic revolution.
• Also like War of the Ring, the narrative told within the game unspools organically, but also in very surprising ways that are truly cinematic. On one turn the Imperials will gnash their teeth in frustration as they try and combat an enemy that's like a ghost and then feel a power-mad rush as their Death Star reduces an entire star system to slag. The Rebels might experience the tremendous highs of nuking an Imperial super-weapon but then start sweating bullets when the Executor drifts perilously close to their hidden fortress. Whatever happens, you're emotionally involved and engaged AF. 
• Full disclosure: this review assumes the inclusion of the Rise of the Empire expansion, which - IMHO - isn't just complimentary...it's mandatory. In the original game's combat system, you'd pick up a number of Tactics Cards equal to your Leader's space or ground Tactics value and then spend waaaay too much time settling on one. Thanks to the expansion, you now have the entirety of a brand new Tactics Deck at your disposal and you can cherry pick whatever card makes the most sense. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this would actually slow things down, but quite often you'll choose a card based on your predominant unit in the battle. Using your Leader's appropriate Tactic Value for re-rolls instead makes combat insanely lethal and - in turn - a helluva lot quicker. 
• On the surface, the game isn't that complicated: just assign your Leaders to Missions or drop them on the board to move your units around. On the surface...      

THE M'EH

• Hot Take: Rogue One is a garbage-ass movie and I hate the inclusion of that schlock in my OG Star Wars game. On the other hand, I'd murder me Nan for an Andor expansion. That shit is fire, bro. 

THE UGLY

• My biggest complaint about the game will quickly become self-evident as soon as you lay your photo-receptors on the "important rules to remember" section down below. There's a lot - and I mean a lot - of fiddly-ass shit to keep track of. Rules governing Leaders and Missions / System Activations, Loyalty and Subjugation as well as movement in and around the Rebel Base are enough to give me absolute fits. 

***

Star Wars Rebellion exhibits the sort of quantum leap in board game design evolution that wasn't even feasible in the hobby back when the IP was at its zenith between 1977 and 1983. Heck it wasn't even possible in the late 90's.  

Play this and you'll feel like you're unspooling an alternate history of the OG Star Wars saga. Like War of the Ring, it's a bonafide miracle that we exist in a timeline where this game was created and it's good as it is. 

As such, Star Wars Rebellion (with the Rise of the Empire expansion) scores a perfect six pips out of six. 

***

BONUS SECTION: Star Wars Rebellion - Important Rules to Remember!

Quick preamble: Fantasy Flight got in the habit of including two rule books with their games: a sketchy "How To Play" manual and a "Rules Reference." I'm sure this was a great idea in theory, but I maintain the effect is kinda ruinous on Star Wars Rebellion.

Why? Well, since you can technically leap right into the game based on a quick skim of the "How To Play" guide, you will most likely make a slew of assumptions about how things work. Then you'll  proceed to obliviously - yet confidently - make a wild series of micro-errors that will poison the results of your first few games. 

So, taking Yoda's advice to "unlearn what you have learned", I read the damned "Rules Reference" from cover to cover and summarized the tricksiest minutia down below. For the record, I don't blame anyone dragging ass to read this thing 'cuz it's about as exciting to peruse as a Death Star insurance policy. 

Between the four-round example of play and my summary of the "Rules Reference" , I hope that you'll feel more confident tabling your copy of this incredible game more often.

Cheers...and May the Force be With You!

Action Cards

• The current player resolves Action Cards first if played at the same time.
• Un-selected Action Cards are placed at the bottom of the deck.

Activating Systems

• A Leader without Tactic values (like Boba Fett) can't Activate a System. 
• When you Activate a System you can pull in Units from multiple adjoining systems. 

Assignment Phase

• The Rebels assign Leaders to Missions first and take the first Command Action.
• Mission Cards aren't revealed in the Assignment Phase. 
• You can assign up to two Leaders to a Mission by placing their stand ups on the face-down Mission Card. 

Building / Deploying Units

• New Units are placed on the Build Queue before the slide.  
• You can deploy a maximum of two new Units per System.
• Units you can't deploy go back on the First Build Queue space. 
• The Rebels Deploy before the Imperials. 

Combat

• If a Player doesn't have a Leader with a Tactics Value in a System at the start of Combat they can be added from the Pool, starting with the Current Player. You can’t retreat from a Battle if you have no Leader there. 
• A Death Star under construction is automatically destroyed if left alone in the presence of Rebel starships at the end of a Combat Round.
• Imperial Units can't retreat from a space containing a Death Star (operational or under construction).
• A maximum of five Black and five Red dice can be rolled per attack. 
• You can assign more damage to a unit than it's Health. 
• Blocked Damage is used against allocated Dice or Cards. It can't be used to remove Damage Tokens.
• If the Rebels only have Transports remaining at the end of a Combat Round, they must retreat! 
• To Retreat, place a Leader in the battle (even one without a Tactics Value) into an adjacent System and then move all retreating units into that System. This System must contain allied Units or your faction's Loyalty Marker and can't contain enemy Units. If these options aren't available,  you can Retreat into a space with no Units but you can't Retreat into the space where the initial attacking Units came from. You can't Retreat multiple spaces with multiple Leaders.
• When you Retreat, all starships must do so, but ground units and TIE's must stay behind!
• Leaders can't Retreat by themselves.
• A battle is considered "Won" for game effect purposes once there are no opposing units in the same theater. Naturally, there had to be at least one opposing unit at the start of the battle and forcing Retreats also count as wins.
• Unopposed Ground Units can remove Target Markers. (ROTE)
• Players have access to all of their Advanced Tactic Cards, can play whatever one they want and discard them after use. Players must use all of their Advanced Tactic Cards’s before re-constituting their discard pile into a new draw deck. (ROTE) 
• With the Advanced Tactic Cards rules, a Leader’s Tactic Value for that theater of battle dictates how many dice they can re-roll with a limit of once per attack. (ROTE)
• Units Destroyed by Tactics Cards are immediately removed as soon as both player’s cards are resolved. (ROTE)
• If an ability lets a player draw Tactics Cards, they’re retrieved from the discard pile and added back to their deck. (ROTE)
• Each player must play one Advanced Tactic Cards per round of battle, but don’t need to resolve them. They are still discarded. (ROTE)

Leaders

• Leaders can only have one Attachment Ring. New ones replace old ones. 
• When Captured, Leaders get the Captured Ring and stay in their current System. If Captured Leaders have no Imperial Units in their System, they are freed and placed in the Rebel Base.  
• Missions that target Captured Leaders can be opposed by both the Captured Character and a available Leader in the Pool, if they have the matching skill.
• If Leaders don't have the required Skill Icons, the Mission isn't revealed and that player must choose a different Activate, Reveal or Pass Action. 
• Captured Leaders can be moved like Ground Units, but don't affect capacity.
• When a second Leader is Captured, the previously held Leader is rescued and placed in the Rebel Base space. If the Base is revealed, the Leader goes into the System.
• Carbonite-frozen Leaders are considered "Captured" for any game effects. Reputation lost from a successful Carbon Freeze is never returned. 
• If placed in a System, that Leader will participate in all Missions and Space / Ground Battles.
• Each faction has a limit of eight Leaders. (ROTE)

Loyalty and Subjugation

• Add a Loyalty Marker to a Neutral Location and remove it if the opposing faction successfully influences that Location. Coruscant never gains or loses Loyalty. Each System can have a maximum of one Rebel Loyalty and one Subjugation Marker at a time.
• A Neutral Subjugated System can gain Imperial Loyalty, just flip the Subjugated Marker to the Loyalty side. 
• If the Imperials occupy a System with at least one ground unit, overlay a Subjugation marker on the Loyalty Space. It’s removed if the system is “liberated” by Rebel forces. Subjugated Systems only produce Units based on the left-most Resource Icon. The Loyalty Marker under a Subjugation Marker can only ever be Neutral or Rebel. You will never see an Imperial Subjugation Marker placed over an Imperial Loyalty Marker.
• If the Rebels gain Loyalty in a Subjugated system just place the Rebel Loyalty Marker underneath the Subjugation Marker. If they lose Loyalty, remove the Marker. It is now Neutral.

Missions

• Starting Mission Cards always go back into hand while all others are discarded. 
• Specific Leaders pictured on Mission Cards grant two automatic successes. 
• There’s a hand limit of ten Mission Cards. Project Cards count towards this limit. Starting Missions can't be discarded. 
• When resolving a Mission, players roll a maximum of ten dice. 
• If a Leader is Captured, Eliminated or Moved off of a Mission Card, the card goes back into hand without being revealed.
• You can choose not to reveal / resolve a Mission, in this case the Leader goes back to the Pool and the Card back in hand. 

Moving

• You can’t move Units out of a System that already contains one of your Leaders, even if it has no Tactics Value.

Objective Cards

• Only one Objective Card can be played per Combat and / or Refresh Phase. 

Passing

• If a player passes, no remaining Missions or System Activations will occur for them in that current round. 

Probe Cards

• Remember to remove all Probe Cards representing starting Imperial Systems and discard them from the game!  
• Probe Cards are only removed during the Refresh Phase or certain card effects. I.E. don’t remove cards for Subjugated Systems. 
• Drawn Probe cards are kept secret from the Rebels. 

Rebel Base

• The presence of Imperial Loyalty and / or Units on the surface of a planet reveals the Rebel Base. When the Base is revealed, flip the concealed Probe Card and transfer Units from the Rebel Base space to the matching system. NOTE: Imperial starships in the Rebel Base's system don't reveal the Base!
• When a Base is Revealed, the Resource Icons still function and new Units are placed directly on the System space. Corollary: units can't be Deployed to or moved to the Rebel Base Space when it's Revealed. 
• If the Rebel Player doesn't like any of the four random Probe Cards drawn for "Rapid Mobilization" they don't have to move and can stay in their current spot. NOTE: there's a chance that all Systems drawn have Imperial Loyalty / are Destroyed / are Subjugated, in which case a move obviously can't happen. Un-selected Probe Cards are shuffled and put at the bottom of the deck. 
• "Rapid Mobilization" is only resolved at the end of the Command Phase. Even after the current Base is revealed, the Rebels can establish a new Base. 
• The Rebel player can activate the Rebel Base space and move Units to the Rebel Base space from either the Base's System or an adjacent System. A Leader in the Rebel Base Space prevents units from moving out of there.

Recruiting

• If all Recruit options on the two drawn Action Cards are already in place or out of the game, continue to draw cards until you have a second option. Optionally you can keep any Action Cards drawn regardless of Leader availability.

Remote Systems

• Remote Systems don’t have Resource Icons or Loyalty Spaces. It’s the opposite of Populous Systems.

Sabotage 

• When a Location is Sabotaged, neither player can use its Resource Icons or deploy units there.   

Structures

• There can be multiple Structures of any type in the same System, with each one providing its benefit.
• Normally Structures are automatically destroyed if they have no allied ground Units to defend against enemy units, but if the owner of the Structure(s) rolled at least one die in the last round, they aren’t destroyed and another round of Combat occurs. (ROTE)

Winning the Game

• The Imperials win if the Rebel Base is Revealed and only Imperial Units are present in the Base Space. The Rebels win if the Reputation Marker is in the same space at the Round Marker. 

 

"Can I Haz Baby Yoda Xpanshun?" - Star Wars - Outer Rim

Although The Force Awakens was practically engineered to rekindle fan interest in Star Wars, it was actually the triple punch of  Clone Wars, Rebels and The Mandalorian that pulled me back in. By the time I finished watching the latter, I really wanted to play a sandboxian adventure game set in the  fringe-ier bits of that wonderful galaxy far, far away.

Welp, leave it to Fantasy Flight to do their Kylo Ren-esque mind probe on me and crank out dis sucka...

Here's FF's HoloNet sales pitch for Outer Rim from Board Game Geek:

"Take to the stars and become a living legend in Star Wars: Outer Rim, a game of bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers for 1-4 players!

"In Outer Rim, you take on the role of an underworld denizen, setting out to make your mark on the galaxy. You'll travel the outer rim in your personal ship, hire legendary Star Wars characters to join your crew, and try to become the most famous (or infamous) outlaw in the galaxy!

"But it won't be easy since the warring factions of the galaxy roam the outer rim, hunting down the scum that have proven to be a thorn in their side, and other scoundrels looking to make their mark see you as the perfect target to bring down to bolster their own reputation. Do you have what it takes to survive in the outer rim and become a living legend?

"In more detail, a game of Outer Rim takes place over a series of turns that sees players taking dangerous jobs, tracking down bounties, upgrading their ship, and more, all in service of gaining more and more fame. Regardless of the path you take to get there, your goal is to gain ten fame, which can come from a variety of sources, such as completing your character's personal goal, collecting on bounties and jobs, delivering illegal cargo, taking down patrols from the various factions struggling over the galaxy, and enjoying the finer things in life by purchasing luxury items with your hard-earned credits.

"While the path to victory may be different for scoundrels finding their way in the Outer Rim, everyone starts from the bottom with a simple starship. Your player board not only tracks your fame progress, but also contains slots for your ship, your character card, gear, reputation, modifications, jobs, and bounties." 

If you wanna know more, feel free to dive into the Jedi holocron of knowledge that it the game's full ruleset right here.

SESSION PLAY-THROUGH (8-FAME MATCH)

Han starts things off. He's currently flying a relatively crappy G9 Rigger, which has a base speed of 6, augmented with a +2 thanks to the cocky smuggler's special ability. Laden down with cargo, Han races across the galaxy, travelling eight spaces from Lothal to Tatooine. Still stuck in deep space, Han decides to sensor scan the region. Unfortunately, this alerts a Hutt patrol to his presence! In the ensuing skirmish, Han rolls 2 Focus results versus a Crit by the Hutts! This results in a "defeat" right out of the gate, so Han loses 3000 credits, discards the Secret concealed under his character card and ends his turn! Yikes! The Outer Rim is a tough place, yo!

As for Bossk, he started the game with a bounty for Dr. Evazan's gnarled head. He starts the search effort by guiding his G-1A Starfighter to the Ring of Kafrene. Before looking for the (not) good Doctor in earnest, the Trandoshan hits up the local markets, discarding a Jet Pack on the top of the Gear Deck and revealing an Armored Vest, which he buys for 3000 credits. This moves the Imperial Fleet patrol three spaces, which ends up in the same system. Mercifully, Bossk doesn’t have a negative reputation with the Imperials...yet! During the Encounter Step, the bounty hunter attempts to Encounter the white token in the same space, but it turns out to be Garindan. Since Bossk has neither a negative Imperial reputation or a positive Rebel reputation, the Strength Test is ignored. Thinking that the snout-nosed Kubaz spy might be helpful in tracking down Evazan, Bossk hires him for 2000 credits.

Having barely survived his encounter with the Hutt gank squad, Han uses his Planning Step to repair the damage to his ship. Since he didn’t move, he once again dares to scan the sector of space he's in. He discovers the Rebel Patrol that drove the Hutts away and saved his ass. With one of the Rebel ships damaged in the fracas, Solo offers to use his Tech knowledge to help them. He rolls two Hits, repairs the problem and gains a positive reputation among the Rebels!

Meanwhile, Bossk continues to scour the galaxy looking for Garindan, using his Planning Step to fly to Naboo. Now that he's completely out of money, the Trandoshan decides to take on another bounty. Plot twist: that new bounty turns out to be Garindan! At the same time, the Imperial Patrol continues to shadow him, but since they still don't have any dirt on the bounty hunter, they leave him be. Naturally, Bossk immediately turn on Garindan but he rolls zero Hits. The spy, on the other hand, rolls a Crit, wins the firefight and Bossk takes 2 points of damage. By the time Bossk "comes to" his quarry has fled the scene and is already on a charter ship back to the Ring of Kafrene. Undaunted, Bossk encounters a Contact Token on Naboo, which turns out to be a Black Sun Agent. The bounty hunter rolls a Crit on his subsequent Influence Test, adding the Agent to his crew!

Han's ship finally limps into Mos Eisley spaceport on Tatooine. He delivers the long-delayed Moisture Vaporators, gaining 5000 credits in the process. Impressed by the windfall, he decides to take on another Cargo Job, this time for a Food Supply job cargo which pays 1000 credits. At the same time, however, the Hutts manage to track Han back to Tatooine! In the subsequent Encounter, Han rolls one Crit and one regular Hit while the Hutts only roll one. This is enough to defeat the Hutt death squad, so he gains 5000 credits for eliminating his rivals! Unfortunately, this raises the ire of the Hutts and they send out an even deadlier patrol to seek revenge!

Bossk wisely decides to abandon his pursuit of Garindan, choosing instead to take on some odd jobs for 2000 credits. He also picks up a Job Card called "Rescue from the Mines". In doing so, the Syndicate Patrol token moves three spaces towards the bounty hinter. Bossk then decides to take advantage of his neutral Imperial reputation and explore Naboo. After stumbling upon a suspicious late night gathering in an alley near Theed Palace, he attempts to Test Knowledge. Unfortunately, all of his rolls are Focus results, so the Skill Test fails but he keeps the card for the matching Secret.

Hoping to bury the ol' vibroaxe with a Hutts before things get completely out of hand, Han jets off to Nal Hutta, which is just two parsecs away. There he delivers the Food Supplies, collecting 5000 credits and gaining one positive Reputation with his former enemies, so that now he's on neutral ground with them. The savvy smuggler then takes a Market Action, opting for another Cargo Job. He then invests 2000 credits in some Smuggling Compartments, which he immediately installs. Now that the heat is off of him, Han explores Nal Hutta, eventually encountering a group of bounty hunters looking for Secrets or Bounties. Since Solo has neither, the encounter is turfed without effect.

Bossk departs Naboo, making the long journey towards Kessel. En route he decides to encounter his current nav point. With no patrol in the same space and a neutral Syndicate reputation, Bossk is privy to a distress call from a ship trapped inside of a giant space slug! He rolls a Tech test, getting one Focus and one Hit. Unfortunately, since he’s unskilled in Tech, this is a failure and his ship suffers three points of damage. Yikes!

Han putters around, doing odd jobs and earning 2000 credits in the process. He then picks up a Stolen Weapons Cargo Job, which involves a 2000 credit down payment. This activates the Imperial Patrol, which moves three spaces towards him. He then pokes around Nal Hutta a bit more, and discovers *surprise, surprise* that there’s an active bounty for Hondo Ohnahka.

Given the chance to to track down Dr. Evazan on Tatooine, Bossk decides to pop down there while he's headed to Kessel. First up he performs his Character Action, which is allows him to recover damage on both himself and his ship. Hearing that there's a Cargo Job destined for Kessel, he drops the 2000 credit purchase cost to cram these Stolen Supplies away in his ship's hold. This prompts the Syndicate Patrol to move three spaces in his direction. He then investigates the white Contact Token there...which turns out to be Dr. Evazan! Unfortunately, Bossk totally whiffs his combat roll, scoring zero hits. Naturally, Evazan scores 2 Crits (!) on his counter attack for a net 4 damage (!!!).  Mercifully, Bossk's Armored Vest saves his life!

Han jets over to Tatooine and attempts to deliver his Stolen Weapons. Unfortunately, he rolls a Crit where he needed a regular Hit, so he has to resolve Card #1. He rolls a single Hit with that card, so there’s no effect. Han escapes detection and decides to bide his time, immersing himself in the local underground scene. In his subsequent Influence Test, he rolls one Crit and resolves card number 40. As it turns out, Han can't resist the temptation of a sabacc match against Bossk. Unfortunately, the Corellian rolls no Crits and Bossk instantly sees through this comically-bad hand. Skilled in Tactics, Bossk rolls two Crits and handily wins the card game. This entitles the Trandoshan to either take 6000 credits from the other player or a trade ship sheets with him. Naturally, he opts to take the money, which mercifully ends another disastrous turn for Solo!

Deciding that he needs more firepower to deal with these pesky bounties, Bossk scrounges up an additional 2000 credits by performing some local gigs. During the Action Step, he resolves his own Personal Action to heal 2 damage from himself and one from his ship. Then, after dropping a sizable 8000 credits on an MPL 57 Grenade Launcher, he heads back out to find Evazan. As a side note, acquiring this weapon prompts a Rebel Patrol to land on Tatooine. In the subsequent scrap, Bossk rolls 3 Hits and 1 Crit while Evazan just rolls 1 Hit. After subduing his quarry, Bossk takes him prisoner.

As for poor Han, he can’t seem to catch a break. He spends his Planning Step doing odd jobs in an attempt to make up some of the money he lost in the sabacc match. In his Action Step, he attempts to unload the Illegal Cargo still sitting in his ship's hold. He rolls a Blank but, thanks to his Smuggling Compartments, this lets him turn the blank into the Hit needed to successfully deliver the cargo. This  earns him 7000 credits and one Fame! Emboldened by this, he pays the 1000 credits required to take on a Coaxium Cargo Job destined for nearby Ryloth. This moves the Imperial Patrol four spaces, and they land on the desert planet. Things are getting hot...in more ways than one! Having finally learned his lesson, Han decides to keep a low profile for the rest of his turn

NOTE: Ham Salad action figure not included!

Anxious to get paid, Bossk jets off to Kessel. In deep space, he decides to scan around his current nav point. He intercepts a transmission intended for someone else, quietly banks this Secret and keeps on truckin'.

NOTE: kick ass Bossk figure not included.

Han flies two nav points to Ryloth during his Planning Step. During his Action Step he delivers the Coaxial Crystal, gaining 5000 credits and one positive Imperial Reputation. While on Ryloth, he hears rumors of a used ship for sale, which turns out to be a battered YT 1300 light freighter. He immediately pays the whopping 20,000 credit asking price. Sure she’s a bit beat up, coming to him with three damage, but it also fulfills Han's Personal Goal, which is to have a ship valued at 15,000 credits or more. He earns one Fame and flips his card to the "Skilled" side. Thrilled by this turn of good fortune, Han decides to take on a Bacta Supply job. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the 1000 credit investment to accommodate it. Although it pains him to do it, he sells his Smuggling Compartments to accommodate the cargo. This moves the Hutt patrol three spaces in his direction.

After Bossk arrives on Kessel he rolls 1 Hit, delivering his Stolen Supplies, earning him 1 Fame and 7000 credits. After taking a Character Action to recover 2 damage to himself. He then takes a Market Action, investing 1000 credits to pick up Salvage Card, which moves the Rebel Patrol four spaces in his direction. Then, during the Encounter Phase, he attempts to rescue a local governor's son who fell in with an unsavory crowd and found himself in the spice mines. This requires Bossk to test Knowledge to locate an alternate entrance, but he fails to roll the required Crit. This leads to Plan B: going in guns a-blazin' versus the pike sentinel guards. Armed with his grenade launcher, he rolls five dice and gets six hits...two regular and two Crits! The Guards dice up three hits in reply: one Crit and one regular. He defeats the guards but also takes three damage in return, nearly dying in the process. He currently has 4 damage but, thanks for his Armored Vest, he's still alive! Unfortunately, the door to the prisoner's cell is so corroded with rust he needs to roll a Strength test to open it. The one Hit he generates is just enough, which lets him spring the prisoner and make good his escape. He gains 8000 credits and one Fame, but also loses favor with the Syndicate. Note: in a strange twist, having a Black Sun agent on board earns him a bonus 2000 credits for this venture.

After series of rough bounces, Han decides to just heal all of his damage and repair his new ship during the Planning Step. Feeling refreshed, Han then takes a Market Step, taking on a job called  Rooting Out Spies for his ol' buddy Maz Kanata. This moves the Hutt patrol three spaces in his direction and they touch down on Ryloth. While passing by a junk pile he comes across a wrecked IG-type battle droid. After re-activating it, Han learns that the droid was a former bodyguard. He attempts to reprogram the thing using Tech and rolls a Hit! The droid joins the crew, adding +2 Strength as well as the matching attribute.

Knowing that piloting isn't his strong suit, Bossk eschews travelling via the Maelstrom, choosing instead to depart Kessel via the traditional nav points. He then uses his Ability Action to heal two points of damage. It’s a darn good thing that Trandoshans can regenerate! Rested up a bit, he decides to chance an encounter with his current location. His scans reveal a derelict transport that's completely abandoned. Bossk salvages the cargo, taking a hit to his reputation with the Hutts, so now he's neutral with them.

Blasting off in the newly re-dubbed Millenium Falcon, Hanuses the nine (!) movement points at his disposal to move all the way from Ryloth to Takodana. Looking to help out Maz, Han spends 1000 credits to hire someone who's adept in local knowledge. In the subsequent test, Han must pass an Influence check. Although he rolls one Hit, he;s unskilled, which means he needed a Crit, so this is a failure. The information broker betrays Han and her minions try to murder him for poking around. In the resulting shoot-out, the smuggler gets a surprising three Hits and the goons roll two. He wins the fight, taking only a single damage in the process. The contact tries to flee, but Han's local connection knows a shortcut through the hideout's basement. The resulting Knowledge Test scores a Hit, just enough to pass through without damage. They catch up to her, resulting in a running firefight. Han fires from a distance, scoring a single Hit on his first attempt. Unfortunately, that’s not enough...he needs a Crit! The same result happens on the second attempt, so he takes another damage, but the third time's the charm! He takes down the spy, completes the job, discards the hired help, and then gains 5000 credits and one Fame!

After Bossk touches down on Mon Calamari, he delivers the Salvage, gaining 5000 credits and one Rebel reputation. He also delivers Dr. Evazan to the authorities, scoring a whopping 10,000 credits and a Fame. Once again, his Personal Action pays off and he heals two damage. Positively rolling in cash, Bossk decides to take a Market Action, picking up a 3000 credit nav-computer which will add 1 to his ship speed. Unfortunately, he's still 1000 credits shy of his personal goal, which is to have at least one mod and two gear with a combined cost of 15,000. After deciding to check out the local space port, he bumps into a Wookiee bounty hunter by the name of Black Krrsantan. Not only is Bossk fresh out of active bounties to share with him, the Trandoshan's reputation of being a wookiee-slayer sparks a fight. Bossk rolls a grand total of three Hits and one Crit while his rival only scores two Hits. Although the wookiee is defeated and removed from the game, Bossk gets nothing for the kill. BOOO! C'mon, that's gotta be worth at least a Fame point!

Han decides to spend the first part of his turn healing three damage. He then heads off to the Market, picking up a DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol for 3000 credits. This moves the Syndicate Patrol three spaces in his direction. Before shipping out, Han explores Takoana a little bit. As it turns out, Imperials have been sniffing around the system and Maz accuses Han of bringing them there. He takes a hit to his reputation with the Impies just to stay in her good graces, which allows him to resolve a new card involving a clandestine meeting with a code breaker. Sensing that he's getting in way over his head, Han decides to step back a bit.

Now on a roll, Bossk jets off to Cantonica, which is 5 parsecs away. After regenerating 2 damage during the Action Phase, the Trandoshan attempts to offload his illegal Stolen Cargo. Unfortunately, he doesn’t roll a Hit, which results in some "unwanted attention." Since he rolled the Focus symbol, he overhears that the Rebellion is in desperate need for the cargo he's looking to sell. He callously disregards their plea, choosing to deliver it elsewhere. This causes him to lose one Rebel Reputation, but the goods are moved and the resulting 7000 credits are banked.

Han decides to stay on Takodana for one more turn, collecting 2000 credits by doing some odd jobs for Maz. He decides to cycle the Market Deck, revealing a Vibroknife, which he decides not to take. Instead, he accepts a job for the Hutts, which involves hijacking a merchant freighter. This moves the Syndicate Patrol three spaces in his direction. During the Encounter Step, he decides to hang out at Takodona Castle, bumping into Bib Fortuna while he's there. Han tells the majordomo about Bossk's past transgressions against Jabba, which causes his rival to lose one Hutt reputation.

After pursuing some odd jobs on Cantonica, Bossk cycles the Ship Deck. By some wonderful coincidence, the next vessel turns out to be a YV-666 Light Freighter, which he immediately purchases! He decides to celebrate his new ride, re-dubbed the Hound's Tooth, by hitting the town. He finds himself embroiled in a game of chance in a run-down sector the city. Feeling lucky, the bounty hunter drops a 2000 credit bet and rolls the chance cubes. Sure enough, he gets a success...netting him a cool 5000 credits. Everything's comin' up Milhou...er, Bossk!

Han jets off to the Ring of Kafrene. Before tackling the hijacking job, he to scare up some additional  crew. He decides to cycle the Job Deck, revealing a card called "Hutt Favor", turfing the bounty on Hondo in the process. This also moves the Hutt Patrol four spaces. Undaunted by his skeleton crew, Han proceeds with the hijacking job. First up, a single Hit ensures that the Falcon docks with her prey without a hitch. Once onboard, they need to remove an access panel to try and slice the freighter's computer. Fortunately, the IG unit rolls one Hit on its Strength check, which is more than enough to succeed. Now it's Han's turn to shine! Unfortunately, his Tech roll results in back-to-back Focus results: a failure! This sets off an alarm and the Falcon suffers a point of damage in the resulting chaos. Desperate to flee, Han tries to blow up the docking clamps now holding his ship in place. He manages to roll a Crit, freeing the Falcon while accruing no extra damage.Things get even worse when a Black Sun escort fighter shows up and attacks the Falcon. Han's gunner generates only a single Hit on 4 dice but the attacking fighter delivers a punishing Crit and single Hit for a total of 3 damage! The Falcon gets away, but, sadly, the job is a complete bust.

Bossk continues to loiter around Cantonica, collecting 2000 credits for various odd jobs. He then sells his Armored Vest for a 3000 credit, um...credit to buy a Vibroknife for 1000 credits. This allows him to complete his Personal Goal, so he flips over his Character Card and scores one Fame in the process. This also moves the Syndicate Patrol 4 spaces in his direction. He then opts to explore Cantonica, crossing paths with the protocol-droid-turned-bounty hunter 4-LOM. He decides to spend the 3000 credits to hire the merc, just to gain the Tactics skill and +1 to ground combat.

Ask for Han, he's forced to burn his Planning Step in order to repair all of the damage to the Falcon. Looking to increase his odds, he pays 5000 credits to install an Ion Cannon on the ship. He then doggedly attempts to tackle the job again. After Han's flawless Piloting check, the IG-unit's Strength test is bungled, resulting in the Falcon taking a point of damage. Han rebounds with a Crit on his Tech check, slicing the computer like buttah. In the subsequent dogfight, Han rolls two Crits and two regular Hits for a total of six damage. The Black Sun escort fighter rolls one Critical and one regular Hit, the latter of which is cancelled by the Ion Cannon, so it's a net two damage. Han wins the combat and finally completes the job, collecting 5000 credits and scoring well-earned bump in Hutt Reputation as well as +1 Fame.

Bossk jets off to Lothal, which is five parsecs away. He decides to hit up the Market, getting a bounty for Greedo. This prompts the Hutt patrol to move four spaces in his direction. He then checks out the  green contact on that space, who turns out to be Boshek. The bounty hunter decides to drop the 2000 credits required to hire the expert Pilot, giving him the matching skill.

Once again, Han spends his Planning Phase repairing the damage to the Millennium Falcon. He spends the rest of his turn prospecting for a Targeting Computer Mod, which moves the Rebel Patrol three spaces in his direction. He then explores the local underground, running into a starship "hot rodder", who offers the top three cards of the Market Deck, including some sweet Maneuvering Thrusters and a Quad Laser Cannon. Unfortunately, due to his painful lack of funds, the destitute Corellian has to pass.

Bossk continues to chill out on Lothal, acting as temporary muscle for a local crime lord to collect 2000 credits. Unbeknownst to Boshek, the ruthless Trandoshan hears about a bounty on his co-pilot's head and immediately turns on his ally. Bossk starts this capture attempt armed with  his Grenade Launcher, a Vibroknife and backup from 4-LOM. He rolls of grand total of four Hits and one Crit hit for a total of six while the surprised Boshek can only manage 1. As a result, he's captured.

Han manages to scrounge up 2000 credits while loitering around Kafrene. He then cycles the Cargo Deck, spending 1000 to accommodate some Food Supplies. This also moves the Hutt Patrol four spaces in his direction. They touch down in the same system but Han currently enjoys a positive reputation with the Hutts, so it's all good. He then resolves an Encounter Card, getting into conversation with a local *a-hem* jizz wailer (look it up) who claims to be "the most famous musician in this corner of the galaxy." He offers to write a song detailing the smuggler's exploits, but since Han isn't technically the most famous character right now, it's gonna cost him. Begrudgingly, Han pawns off his blaster to come up with the 8000 credits required for payment. It's a solid investment, though, scoring him a much-needed Fame. He's now at 6!

The Hound's Tooth has just enough movement required to make landfall on Nal Hutta. He immediately delivers Boshek, gaining 8000 credits and bringing his Fame up to seven. In a bid to get the eighth and final Fame point to win, Bossk cycles the Luxury deck. He passes up the Undercover Agent card, opting instead to pay 2000 credits to take on some Stolen Weapons, hoping to cart them off to Tatooine next turn. This moves the Imperial Patrol three spaces in his direction. They arrive on Nal Hutta, but since he has a neutral reputation with them, everything is copacetic. Bossk then bumped into local alien dudebro Ponda Baba. With a successful Strength test, the Aqualish goon is put into his place and, suitably Beta-cucked, he joins the Trandoshan's crew.

Between the Millennium Falcon's obscene speed and Han's special ability, he gets all the way to Nal Hutta on one turn! The smuggler then delivers the Food Supplies, collecting 5000 credits and re-enforcing his positive reputation with the Hutts. This also completes his Ship Goal since he has two Mods and just delivered a Cargo! It’s now a race to see who gets that final Fame point! After cycling the Job Deck, Han learns of Jabba's Hidden Stash which moves the Hutt Patrol three spaces in his direction. He then decides to poke around on Nal Hutta, passing up an open bounty on a Black Sun agent.

As if there's nothing to it, Bossk flies his Illegal Cargo to Tatooine, unloads it with an effortless Hit roll, collects 7000 credits and gains one more Fame for the win!

REVIEW

PROS

• I like the Outer Rim map board and the recessed ship control panels. The latter is particularly sweet since your trackers won't fly all over hell and/or creation if someone mistakenly bumps into the table.
• The rules are remarkably clear and intuitive and I didn't spend a metric crap ton of time looking stuff up.
• Of course, I'm gonna compare this to both Firefly and Merchants & Marauders and, frankly, I think it beats both of them handily! Both of those games have a tendency to come to a screeching halt during the "Aim to Disobey" actions in the former and combats in the latter; a situation that's completely remedied in Outer Rim. In addition, the patrol system here is very elegant and doesn't require a ton of book-keeping. Another point: even when you're floating around in deep space, you still can get into misadventures, so it feels as if your turn is wasted. Put it this way: I'm seriously thinking of turfing both of those other titles!  Frankly, I think the only other game that holds a candle to it is probably Xia with the expansions. 
• My session reports shows just how thematic the game can be. 
• Between the ships, mods, characters, crew, equipment and jobs there's a decent variety here.
• The balance seems pretty decent to me, at least with these two characters. Despite Han getting consistently kicked in the space-cubes, he still only lost by one Fame! 

CONS   

• Given that most of the cards are without art and, even less forgivable, we don't get any ship models ("BOOOO!!!"), clearly the price point is high just because the words "STAR" and "WARS" are plastered all over the box. I subbed in minis from the old WOTC Star Wars Miniatures game, 'cuz I just thought anything else was a travesty. 
• The game abstracts a lot of stuff, which may annoy a certain segment of hardcore gamers. Personally, after gnashing my teeth at the design failures that hobble it's competitors, I'd prefer breezy over chrome-y with a title like this.

*** 

With it's planet-hopping pace, rich thematic content and no shortage of tough scrapes to get in and out of, Outer Rim scores five pips outta six, with a tilt up towards the top of Chewbacca's furry pate! 

IMPORTANT RULES TO REMEMBER

• After you buy a card from a Market Deck, reveal the top card. If there is a Patrol Movement Icon on the revealed card, you must move that Patrol. This is not triggered if the top card is discarded for some reason.
• Patrols move towards the player who revealed it along the shortest path. They can move through the Maelstrom. 
• Planets with Faction Icons on them typically allow you to gain Reputation with that particular Faction or reward you for having a positive reputation with them.  
• The back of Encounter Cards also shows the most common reward that appears on those cards.
• If a Contact is not discarded it remains on the board where any player may Encounter it. 
• Above every Job Card's Name is a list of Skills that will be tested, with anything in italics indicating that a failure on this attribute will cause the Job itself to fail. 
• Use the color on the Bounty Card to match Contact Tokens to avoid wasted searches.
• If the revealed Contact Token matched your Bounty Card, you don't draw its Database Card, you can choose to Fight it. If you win the combat but are also Defeated, you can still either Eliminate or Capture the Contact. 
• Remove the Contact Token from the game when it's Delivered or Eliminated. Also remove the Bounty Card from the game after you gain the reward.

Never Tell Me The Odds - "Star Wars: Destiny"

With the success of DiceMasters, it was just a matter of time before Fantasy Flight used their Star Wars license(-to-print-money) to come up with their own freakin' collectible dice game. But with the popularity of that venerable WizKidz game waning and Star Wars merchandising rapidly reaching the saturation point, did Corey Konieczka and Lukas Litzsinger manage to come up with a design so good that it overcomes the inherently-mercenary nature of collectible games?

Well, the answer is yes...and no.

So what's the opening crawl on Star Wars: Destiny? I'll just let the super-slick holo-vid experts at Fantasy Flight whisk you off to that beloved galaxy far, far away...

Looking to read the full rules holocron? Well, just click on the following link to review the entire saga!

***

PLAY THROUGH

KYLO REN (ELITE) & CAPTAIN PHASMA     

VS.     

REY (ELITE) & FINN

With a random roll of four versus one, the Dark Side starts off the game. Since the good guys go second, they receive a consolation prize of free Shields. Daisy decides to place both of them on Rey. Adam then chooses to use his own Battlefield: I.E. the Frozen Wastes of Starkiller Base. Hey, that rhymes!

Both players begin the game with two Resources apiece.

ROUND ONE

Adam activates Kylo Ren, rolling his dice and getting two special ability Symbols.

Daisy's plays "Take Cover" for free. This Event gives Rey a third Shield, which is her maximum.

Adam then resolves his two special ability Symbols. He selects Rey, randomly draws "Use the Force" and "Awakenings" from Daisy's hand and and Rey loses two Shields!

Daisy spends one Resource to plays "Awakenings" which lets her to treat Modifier die result as if were a regular result.

Adam activates Captain Phasma, rolling a miss.

Daisy activates Rey, rolling a 1-Resource and a +1 Modified Resource.

Adam then spends one Resource to play "Isolation" which lets him kick Rey's 1-Resources die back to her card.

In response, Daisy spends her last Resource to play "Use the Force" to turn her one remaining die to the 1-Melee side.

Next up, Adam spend his last Resource to play "Boundless Ambition". He draws two new cards, up to his maximum hand size.

Daisy resolves Rey's lone Melee die, hitting Kylo Ren for a point.

Adam decides to gamble, throwing out a card called "Flank" to re-roll Phasma's die. He gets a +1Ranged modifier.

Daisy activates Finn, also rolling a +1 Ranged modifier.

Adam decides to take his Lightsaber and mask and go home by Claiming the Battlefield. This forces Daisy to remove a Character die, so Finn's 1-Ranged attack goes back on his card. Or course, this also means that the round is over for the bad guys.

With precious few options, Daisy decides that she's done as well, and so it's on to the next round. Daisy and Adam both collect two new Resources. Adam draws one card and Daisy draws three cards to get themselves back up to five.

ROUND TWO

Since Adam Claimed the Battlefield, he kicks things off by activating Kylo, rolling a special Symbol and a 1-Melee side in the process.

Daisy plays BB-8 for one Resource.

Adam decides to resolve his special Symbol Kylo Ren die. Once again, Daisy shuffles her cards and randomly reveals "Daring Escape" which cost two Resources. As a result, Rey loses her last remaining Shield and takes one damage.

Daisy activates Rey, rolling a miss and 1-Resource.

Petty emo fuck that we is, Adam resolves his 1-Melee damage die, causing a point of hurt to Rey.  

Daisy activates BB-8 and rolls the 1-Shield symbol.

Adam activates Phasma, getting a 1-Discard symbol on the roll.

Daisy resolves BB-8's die, giving Rey a badly-needed Shield.

Adam resolves Phasma's Discard die. Daisy reveals, and then throws out, "Force Throw". Ouch.

Daisy activates Finn but rolls a miss.

Adam Claims the Battlefield, forcing Daisy to remove her 1-Resource die.

Daisy also decides to pass and once again the round is over.

All characters refresh and get their dice back. Daisy draws two new cards while Adam is already at his maximum hand size. Both players then collect two Resources each.

ROUND THREE

Adam still controls the Battlefield so he goes first, spending three resources to equip Kylo with his Lightsaber! Ruh-roh.

Daisy plays "Draw Attention" for free, moving two damage from Ray to Finn.

Adam activate Kylo Ren, rolling a 2-Melee result, a +3 Melee damage modifier and a miss with his Lightsaber.

Daisy quickly spends two Resources to play "Block", removing all of Adam's Melee dice!

Frustrated, Adam activates Phasma, rolling a 1-Resource symbol.

Daisy activates Rey, generating 1-Melee and 1-Discard.

Adam pays one Resource to play "Disturbance in the Force" forcing a re-roll on all dice! Rey gets a 1-Discard and a +1 Resource while Kylo gets a miss and Phasma gets a +1 Resource. 

Daisy decides to exhaust her "Awakening" Support to use her +1 Resource die to get a Resource.

Adam resolves Phasma's 1-Resource die to do the same.

Daisy plays out her 1-Discard die and Adam is forced to throw out "Force Strike".

Adam Claims the Battlefield in response.

Daisy then activates Finn, but rolls a Miss. She follows this up by activating BB-8 and rolling a Disrupt symbol. She decides to resolve that next, forcing Adam to throw out one of his Resources. She then passes and the round comes to an end.

All Characters refresh. Daisy draws two cards and Adam pulls three. Both players collect two Resources apiece.

ROUND FOUR

Adam starts off the new round by activating Kylo, getting 1-Melee, a +2 Melee and a miss!

Daisy spends two Resources to equip "Jedi Robes" on Rey. This activates her Special Ability which lets her take an additional Action when she gets an Upgrade. So Daisy activates Rey, rolling 1-Melee and two +1 Resource symbols.

Adam resolves his Melee dice, dropping three damage on Rey. She loses her two Shields and takes one point of damage.

Daisy exhausts her "Awakenings" card to resolve one of Rey's modified Resources die results.

Adam uses two Resources to play an "F-11D Rifle" on Phasma. Yikes!

Rey uses all three of her Resources to play "Second Chance" on Finn.

Adam spends a single Resource to play "Emperor's Favor" increasing his hand size maximum to six!

Finn activates, rolling a miss!

Phasma activates, rolling a special Symbol with her blaster and a 1-Discard.

BB-8 activates, rolling 1-Resource.

Adam resolves the F-11D's special Symbol, which deals two points of hurt to Daisy's characters, but she decides how to distribute the damage. As a result, Finn heroically jumps in the way, sparing Rey any harm! #truelurve

Daisy performs BB-8's 1-Resouce result.

Adam resolves Phasma's Discard and Daisy throws out a "Block" card.

Daisy responds with her 1-Melee result, causing a point of damage to Kylo.

Adam decides to cut out when he's on top, Claiming the Battlefield and signalling the end of the round. With no viable plays left, Daisy agrees to "move along".

Everyone refreshes. Daisy draws three cards and so does Adam, thanks to his "Emperor's Favor". They also collect two Resources apiece.

ROUND FIVE

Adam comes out swinging, spending a whopping four Resources to play the incredibly nasty "Mind Probe" Upgrade on Kylo Ren.

Daisy activates Rey, getting a miss, a 1-Discard and a 1-Resources result.

Adam activates Kylo, getting a miss, a +3 melee and two special Symbols.

Daisy then spends all of her Resources to play a "DL-44 Blaster" on Finn. This Upgrade item forces Adam to select and return a die, so brings back the miss. This item also has the Ambush trait, which allows Daisy to take another action. She activates Finn, rolling a 1-Ranged result and 1-Resource.

Adam resolves both of his Symbol dice, targeting Rey. First, Kylo's special ability forces Daisy to reveal a card, which turns out to be 2-Resource "Daring Escape" so she takes an equal amount of damage. He then unleashes the "Mind Probe" Symbol which reads causes a point of damage to a character equal to the number of cards in their hand. That's a whopping four more points to Rey, leaving her with only three life left!

Daisy resolves Rey's 1-Resource die.

Adam activates Phasma, rolling a 2-Ranged result with a +1 Ranged Modifier!

This forces Daisy to spend her one remaining Resource to play "Use the Force", turning Phasma's 2-Ranged hit to a miss!

Adam retaliates by Claiming the Battlefield, dumping Finn's 1-Ranged die in the process.

Daisy closes out the round by resolving Rey's 1-Discard die which forces Adam to throw out "The Best Defense". She then rolls BB8's die and gets a miss! Finally she cashes in Finn's 1-Resource die.

Everything is refreshed. Both players get two Resources each and draw two cards apiece.

ROUND SIX

Adam kicks things off by playing an Infantry Grenade on Phasma!

Daisy activates Finn but gets a miss and 1-Resource.

Adam activates Phasma and rolls a miss, a 1-Discard and a 2-Ranged with the Grenade.

Daisy reacts by playing "Daring Escape" for two Resources. She forces Adam to re-roll Phasma's dice. Both turn up misses and go right out of the die pool! And since this is an Ambush card, Daisy plays "Aim" to turn Finn's blaster miss into a 3-point Ranged hit!

Decidedly irked, Adam rolls Kylo's dice, getting a scary array of 2-Melee, 3-Ranged, 1-Melee and a special Symbol with the Lightsaber.

Clearly on the defensive now, Daisy plays "Unpredictable", forcing Adam to re-roll his 3-Ranged result. Unfortunately, the special Symbol for Mind Probe turns up instead, which is arguably worse! On the upside since this is an Ambush play, Finn gets to blast Kylo right in the grill for three Ranged damage!

Adam unleashes a hell-storm, paying one Resource to deal three Melee damage to Rey, eliminating her!

Daisy activates BB-8 and gets a 1-Focus result!

Adam resolves his special Symbol for Kylo's Lightsaber, causing two points of damage to Finn! He then plays out his special Symbol for the Mind Probe, dealing two more points of damage to our hero!

Daisy uses BB-8's Focus to turns Finn's die to 2-Ranged result!

Adam Claims the Battlefield, ending the round and discarding Finn's 2-Ranged damage die! 

Daisy has little choice but to end the round as well. Things are looking pretty grim for the forces of good!

Daisy draws three cards and Adam draws one. Both players refresh their cards and get two Resources apiece.

ROUND SEVEN

Adam kicks things off, paying two Resources to play the "Immobilize" Upgrade on Kylo!

Daisy activates Finn, rolling 2-Ranged and 1-Supply.

Adam activates Kylo, getting 2-Melee, 1-Melee, a +3 Melee, a Shield and a special "Mind Probe" result. It's just about the best possible roll he could have hoped for!

Knowing that the end is near, Daisy spends Finn's 2-Ranged die, wounding Kylo. He still has two life remaining.

Adam spends one Resource to resolve his special "Mind Probe" Symbol, dealing a whopping five points of damage to Finn, killing him.

But wait! Instead of being defeated, Finn heals five points of damage thanks to "Second Chance"! Daisy activates BB-8, rolling 1-Resource.

The reprieve is brief. Adam activates Kylo's Melee dice, dealing six points to Finn, killing him and ending the game!

***

REVIEW

PROS

• When I first saw images of the dice I was afraid that they were stickers. Thankfully, Fantasy Flight came up a process whereby the images are heat-pressed right onto the plastic. To ensure that these images don't deteriorate, the dice are then covered in a scratch-resistant coating. Granted, people who've already invested in Fantasy Flight's other Star Wars themed games will likely bitch about the recycled art, but I love it. The cards are great to look at and easy to understand. 
• The rules are crazy stupid simple. Yeah, the Discard and Disrupt symbols were a tad confusing at first, but now I've got everything locked down cold. Even when the wee little instruction sheet that comes in the starters fails you, the full online rules are pretty comprehensive.
• The game's design is well in step with the quick pace of Star Wars. Since you can only do one thing on your turn, you're always chomping at the bit to go again. The cards that Lukas Litzsinger and Corey Konieczka have come up with neatly evoke all of the character traits, weapons, upgrades, events and game-changing conditions from the movies. From a design perspective it's head and shoulders above Dice Masters, which is essentially just a Quarriors / Magic: The Gathering mash-up. In the immortal words of a certain Dark Lord of the Sith: "Impressive. Most impressive."      
• Interesting timing and tactical decision abound. Should I roll everything into my dice pool to try and polish off a rival character and risk being disrupted? Even though I technically still have plays left, should I Claim the Battlefield now to trigger its strategic reward? Do I spend all of my limited Resources to play this sweet Upgrade or try to mitigate that slew of Ranged damage that's eventually headed my way? 
• I absolutely love deck building in this game. Even though Awakenings is a relatively small set, a myriad of different strategies quickly become apparent. And since your deck is only thirty cards with a "two of the same card" limit,  you can slap decks together super quick and trim the fat with minimal effort.
• The game length is perfect. The "you lose if you discard your last card" caveat helps to ensures that Destiny doesn't over-stay its welcome.          

CONS

• With all of these disparate, card-delivered mechanics crashing together there's bound to be a few confusing rules conflicts. Cripes, interpreting "Second Chance" alone under different circumstances is more than enough to inspire a host threads on Board Game Geek and Reddit. If you're playing with chill people this will be a moot point but the soft language on some of the cards might give rules lawyers plenty of ammo to paralyze the game.  
• Once your team starts on the path of a death spiral, it's pretty darned hard to pull out of it. Not impossible, but pretty darned difficult. 
• Just like all collectible games, Star Wars: Destiny comes with a disclaimer. Yes, a lot of the common cards are very useful. Yes, the starter decks are technically playable when you add a few boosters. But, let's face it, Fantasy Flight knew exactly what they were doing here. They wanted completist psychos like me to buy boosters hand over fist until we had two copies of every card. And, clearly its working since the game is now scarcer than a nudist Jawa. This also brings me to the painful topic of distribution. A friend of mine bought one box of boosters and got Luke, Vader, Grievous ×2, Leia, Nightsister ×2, Padme, General Veers, Han Solo, Bala Tik, Phasma, Tusken Raider, and Admiral Ackbar I.E everything you'd ever want for characters in one go. My box, on the other hand, had a First Order Stormtrooper, Grievous x 2, Veers x 2, Vader, Nightsister x 2, Bala Tik, Tusken Raider x 2, Ackbar x 2, Leia and Padme. And honestly, that sucks in comparison. This game would have been sooo much better if the sets were fixed set like a living card game instead of chasing the dragon for all the "mains and toys". I feel like we're back in the bad old days of Deciphers Star Wars Customizable Card Game.      

***

THE BOTTOM LINE

Man, I was really hoping that this game would suck. But, nope, Lukas Litzsinger and Corey Konieczka have actually managed to produce an original, fast-paced, nuanced, fun, engaging little game that's compulsively playable. More the pity, then, that the overall experience is soured knowing that you're barely-augmented Rey starter will always get thoroughly and viciously trounced by an Elite Jango / Veers combo.

In spite of this, Star Wars: Destiny earns five pips outta six with a tilt down into the collectible Rancor pit of despair.

***

Wanna pair Poe and Finn up in the same deck just to piss off the haters? #truelurve

Well, yer gonna hafta wait for awhile since the only source for boosters right now are unscrupulous scalpers who are selling them for thirteen bucks a pop.

In the meantime, you can click here to read Fantasy Flight's immediate plans for product availability. Sad to say, but it looks as if Fantasy Flight is going for the same "let's make as much filthy luchre from this as quickly we can by pumping out expansions before everyone gets sick of it" model that prematurely murdered Dice Masters.