Imperial Assault
The first thing I should tell you is that I only play the Campaign version of Star Wars Imperial Assault. So my picks for my favourite Allies and Villains are solely based on their usefulness in a Campaign. I’ve also kept my personal feelings about each character based on their role in the movies separate from my analysis. If I hadn’t then Boba Fett, and Han Solo would have made the list.
There’s a school of thought when it comes to adding Allies to your Rebel group that the associated Threat cost is too high. Well the Allies I’ve chosen as my Top 3 are well worth the cost, and very resilient if played correctly. My Top 3 Villains have such an interesting affect on the game that I can’t imagine playing a full Campaign without the inclusion of at least one of them.
Top 3 Allies
R2-D2 & C-3PO: This should be the first Ally pack you buy as soon as you purchase the Twin Shadows expansion. The first thing that stands out is their built-in abilities to keep them around. R2-D2 defends with a White Die but because of his LUCKY ability, a blank result is treated as a total miss. R2-D2 can also take an action to heal 1 damage. C-3PO has the COWER ability which allows you to reroll a Defence Die as long as you are adjacent to a friendly figure. If you are playing C-3PO correctly then there will be an adjacent figure. For their relatively low Threat costs R2-D2 & C-3PO are definitely worth recruiting as Allies.
Leia Organa: This should be the first Ally pack you buy as soon as you purchase the Return to Hoth expansion. Her Surge ability AGGRESSIVE NEGOTIATIONS can be enough to win some Missions on her own. Used correctly her BATTLEFIELD LEADERSHIP ability can help you maximize the damage dealt by your strongest character. Even the Imperial’s strongest characters have a hard time dealing with five focused attacks in a turn. For 8 Threat cost Leia Organa is well worth it considering her game breaking abilities.
Lando Calrissian: This should be the first Ally pack you buy as soon as you purchase the Bespin Gambit expansion. Didn’t like what you rolled on either Attack or Defence? Use Lando’s RESOURCEFUL ability to select one of your Dice to reroll. That particular Die doesn’t have the value you need? Use Lando’s GAMBIT ability to select a different Die first. Trust me when I tell you that Lando will give the Imperial Player fits. Add in his Surge ability to both Stun targets, and become Hidden. Lando can be a very difficult Ally for the Imperials to deal with.
Top 3 Villains
Hired Guns: As inexpensive Imperial units go. The Hired Guns are one of my favourites. It’s all about the PARTING SHOT ability. Getting that extra attack in when a Hired Gun is defeated can really mess with the the Rebels plans. That extra little bit of damage can add up over time. For only 4 Threat the Hired Guns can really slow down the Rebels. Useful for missions that have a short time limit.
ISB Infiltrators: Once again I’m selecting regular units as opposed to a key character for the Imperials. I believe that there’s strength in numbers when it comes to playing the Imperials. Something of note with the ISB Infiltrators is that although they only deploy 2 units. Their COORDINATED RAID ability essentially provides them with one additional attack. Being able to become Hidden as a Surge ability makes them a little more resilient than regular Stormtroopers. It’s when you are able to deploy their elite version that things get really interesting. The elite ISB Infiltrators surge ability DEADLY can really cause problems for the Rebels. Negating a Dodge turns one White Defence Die into almost nothing. Pick your targets right, and you’ll have the Rebels running for cover.
Jawa Scavenger: This is hands down my absolute favourite Villain pack. First of all I am a fan of Jawas. So it’s nice to see them represented so well. Their diminutive size, and tendency to hide in the shadows is why they were given the TAKE COVER ability. Although they only attack with two yellow dice. The built-in +2 Accuracy, with an additional +2 Accuracy from Surge available means that they can fire from a decent distance away. The elite Jawa Scavenger also gains the HAGGLE surge ability which can really ramp up the Threat level if the dice are in your favour. If it goes unchecked for a couple turns. The Jawa Scavenger can help the Imperials bring in some Big baddies right quick. The Jawa Scavenger is best used in missions where the Rebels are busy with objectives, or seemingly have larger fish to fry.
