A great Design
I’ve been playing board games for a long time. One thing that I can say for sure is that Game Design has significantly improved. I use to find major flaws with almost every game I purchased after a few times playing. The percentage of games that are brutally unbalanced, or contain game breaking elements are far lower now. Imperial Assault is no exception. I’ve read other people’s reviews, and comments about Campaign balance issues. After playing through the game a number of times. I can assure you that their opinions are unfounded. The concern is most commonly about one side (Rebels or Imperials) gaining a significant advantage by winning too many missions in a row, and gaining an insurmountable advantage. With proper Strategy, no advantage is insurmountable if you focus on the objectives. Another aspect that is overlooked by most is that in order to win, the only mission that matters is the last one. Every other mission only helps determine which path you take to get there. I’ve also come across discussions on the Forums about assembling super groups of Rebel Heroes. Trust me there is no such thing. As the Imperial player there will be some missions that provide you with a predetermined Imperial units load out that can significantly limit your chances of success. Of course there are other missions that provide you with the freedom to select the best possible group of units to defeat the Rebels. In this way Campaigns involving equally skilled players rarely feel unbalanced. Fantasy Flight Games have done an excellent job of making each and every character feel unique, and equally important. Of course there are characters like Gideon from the Core set that can combine with others to create powerful effects. This in no way makes other characters feel insignificant.
Unpredictable turn sequence
An interesting departure from the majority of RPG style dungeon crawler games is Imperial Assault’s Turn sequence. Instead of all the Rebel Players playing their turn, then the Imperial player taking theirs. Each Character or unit takes their turn alternating between the Rebels and Imperials. The order isn’t predetermined by initiative or any other means. Each side selects which unit they would like to activate next after the opponent has completed their last activation. This makes choosing which unit to use next, and how to use them quite similar to Chess. Although the game is character driven. Rebel Players will be upgrading, and levelling up their Heroes as the Campaign progresses. Imperial Assault is first and foremost a Strategy based Board Game. Resource management, time management, character formations, and even sacrificing characters play an important role. The simplest of Actions could be the difference between winning or losing a mission. All of these elements combined make for a very enjoyable game to play.
Is it Star Wars?
There are many games on the market that are based upon existing storylines. Whether they are video game adaptations, movie adaptations, literary adaptations, or historical adaptations. A recognizable background story can make a game appeal to a far greater number of people. Obviously Star Wars is recognizable by most people. The Star Wars universe is so well known that it places an even greater importance on creating something that feels authentic. Well Fantasy Flight Games have done an excellent job of making each mission in Imperial Assault feel like a scene out of one of the movies. The Rebels always seem to be out numbered. Whenever they do appear to gain the upper hand. A powerful Imperial character like Darth Vader shows up to wreck the day. The sense of urgency that you feel throughout the majority of Star Wars films. The Rebels always seem to be running out of time. That is also well represented in an Imperial Assault Campaign. You might expect to see many of the most popular characters early and often in an Imperial Assault Campaign. To be honest it’s what I expected the first time I played the game. Well you would be wrong. The Imperial Assault Campaign system does a good job of placing the importance on the Players Heroes, but still having your favourite characters from the movies be a factor. This effectively helps keep everyone interested, and adds an additional element of excitement when a famous character from the Star Wars universe makes an appearance.
Conclusion
If you are a fan of the Star Wars universe, or just a fan of strategic dungeon crawler style Board Games. Imperial Assault would make a great addition to your game collection. As far as Campaign based Board Games go. Imperial Assault has become my absolute favourite. Although there are quite a few expansions, and character packs available. Imperial Assault is perfectly playable with only the Core set. If you have three or four friends that you can get together with on a regular basis. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Imperial Assault. You won’t be disappointed.
