Star Wars Imperial Assault

Started by JudgeDredd, August 03, 2017, 06:48:07 AM

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JudgeDredd

Thinking about buying it. Anyone got it and any opinions?

I've seen the unboxing on the Mythical Front Page and there's a few threads with a mention of it on here, but nothing detailed or any impressions. The Mythical Front Page suggests joinging in on chat on the forum to get an AAR done - but I didn't see anything.

Thanks
Alba gu' brath

mirth

Quote from: JudgeDredd on August 03, 2017, 06:48:07 AM
The Mythical Front Page suggests joinging in on chat on the forum to get an AAR done - but I didn't see anything.

I think you just volunteered to buy it and write the AAR.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

JudgeDredd

aw god. Come on! Someone has it - there's an "unboxing" vid on here

I mean - if I have to, I will....but....
Alba gu' brath

BanzaiCat

LOL

JD, I own Imperial Assault and just about every expansion for it too (Return to Hoth, The Bespin Gambit, and Twin Shadows), plus a bunch of expansion character packs, too.

It's GREAT (*greeeeeet?) fun. If you're a Star Wars fan as I know you are, you'll like it a lot. Your daughter will likely love it too. It's much more story-driven and tactical than Rebellion is, of course. Start with the base set and go from there.

I can do an unboxing video if you guys want, of everything.

BanzaiCat

Quote from: BanzaiCat on August 03, 2017, 09:32:07 AM
JD, I own Imperial Assault and just about every expansion for it too

(insert mirth comment "of course you do" here)

mirth

Quote from: BanzaiCat on August 03, 2017, 09:32:57 AM
Quote from: BanzaiCat on August 03, 2017, 09:32:07 AM
JD, I own Imperial Assault and just about every expansion for it too

(insert mirth comment "of course you do" here)

It's so much easier when you guys make my replies for me  :bd:

If it makes you feel better about your addiction, I just ordered 2nd Edition of Brigade Fire & Fury

http://www.fireandfury.com/products/desc_bff2.shtml

"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

bbmike

^Damn, that looks cool. Please don't post stuff like that anymore.  :P
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BanzaiCat

Nice one, mirth! 2nd Edition looks cool...

I'd once thought about doing an AAR on Imperial Assault but other things became shinier.

JD, make no mistake, IA is a two-player (possibly more, depending) game at heart. It can't really be played solo, but someone posted a solo play governor in the BGG forums some time ago if that's something you're interested in.

GJK

Quote from: mirth on August 03, 2017, 09:36:47 AM

If it makes you feel better about your addiction, I just ordered 2nd Edition of Brigade Fire & Fury

http://www.fireandfury.com/products/desc_bff2.shtml


I played one game of Regimental F&F a few years ago and thought that was very simplistic (as in "watered down") but I'll admit that I was going on the word of the kid (about half my age so yeah) who "knew the game well" so I'm sure that played in to it.  I like tables and charts and modifiers and such and when playing that day I'd just get a "yeah, you need to roll higher than '9'" so that kind of killed it for me.  :D

I'll have to check this one out for myself some time though - I still have dozens of packages of ACW mini's that I've never even opened up before.

Funny - but I wrote about going to play R:F&F back in May of '15.  I also talk about some rules that I found online and I've linked to them in this thread.  I *really* like what they have here and honestly, that would be what I would start with if I ever finally start basing (free?) and painting all this stuff that I have.

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=13352.msg355496#msg355496
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mirth

R:F&F is simple to learn and pick up, but I don't consider it simplistic and we try to let new guys know why they need to roll higher than 9.

There's a surprising amount of nuance to the game and if you handle your troops poorly the more experienced players will punish you. Believe me, I know all about that :P
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

mirth

Sorry, I don't mean to hijack the Imperial Assault thread.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

Silent Disapproval Robot

#11


I've played it a few times but it didn't really click with me.  It uses virtually the same rules as Descent but with a few tweaks to ranged combat. There are two basic ways to play it.  You can do a 4 vs 1 co-op vs dungeon master style game where up to 4 players control rebel heroes and try to beat a series of missions and one player controls the Imperials.  Set up for the Imperial player is quite involved and he has to know the rules well or he could screw up and bugger the entire scenario if he makes a mistake during set up. 

The other way is a 1 vs 1 adversarial system where each player gets 100 points and uses those to build a squad.  They then fight out a tactical skirmish on a pre-determined map. 

I found that the campaign system really rushes the rebels and if you pause for even a few turns, you lose.

Something about the combat system just seemed off to me.  I think it's the way the movement system works.  The map uses a square grid overlay.  You can't push through enemy occupied squares so it's easy for just two storm troopers to block off a hallway just by standing side by side.  However, if they're staggered, you can run along the diagonal without penalty and moving diagonally doesn't cost more mivement points than cardinal movement does.   The game needs better zone of control rules and line of sight rules.

JudgeDredd

Alba gu' brath

acctingman

TO SDR or anyone who owns this game....

Does the game lend itself to solo play? I've read that there is an app you have to use to play solo, but from what I've read it sounds like it won't work with a lot of the characters from the expansion packs?

Thanks

Nefaro

#14
Quote from: acctingman on January 04, 2018, 04:00:58 PM
TO SDR or anyone who owns this game....

Does the game lend itself to solo play? I've read that there is an app you have to use to play solo, but from what I've read it sounds like it won't work with a lot of the characters from the expansion packs?

Thanks

The app is just like the one for their other line which uses the same system (Descent 2e). 

I mention that because the Descent co-op app slowly rolled out content support, and new app additions, over time.  I expect FFG will do the same for the Imperial Assault one because it was only recently released.   The app is a free download, although the Descent one also offered a paid DLC add-on which would procedurally generate randomized dungeons (I'll def buy that addon sometime).

Both IA and D2e also had a few community created mods on BGG for an automated opponent that could run the baddy monster/Imp side.  I think the solo mod from user "Redjak" (or something similar?), which used a set of cards and some short rules to dictate the auto-opponent behavior, was the best that I had seen for Descent.   I'm pretty sure he also did a set for IA, but I never got around to checking out the IA ones.