Playing Imperial Assault is, in short, a blast. There is so much fun packed into this box, and it would take forever to get through it all.and every mission or skirmish plays out like something you’d see on the big screen. The best part about it is that Imperial Assault has something for everyone: the campaign is a lengthy adventure that encourages strong player interaction, and it’s full of surprises; the skirmish offers a competitive game that reduces luck and encourages the most tactical play possible. The campaign feels like an experience that goes beyond a regular board game, and the skirmish feels like, well, a board game, perfect for those who love the mechanics but don’t want to go through the involved, bombastic campaign.

I found Imperial Assault to be extremely accessible, which is part of what made it so fun. The group I played my first campaign with hardly had any experience with heavy board games; the most complicated thing they played consistently was Catan. The group, surprisingly, jumped right in and we were having fun in no time – even the one who’s not a Star Wars fan found himself eager to play every time he came over. This game provides an experience, and it resonated well with my group because of this. The campaign is an exciting exercise of co-operation and teamwork, and it’s full of surprises that demand sudden changes in strategy. It very much feels like you’re playing through a movie.

There are some caveats to this. In the campaign, there are scripted events that are known only by the Imperial player, who more or less “runs” the game. This means that enemies, unknown to the Rebels, might appear suddenly behind doors that they open, or that reinforcements might arrive when they’re least expecting it. These surprises may seem random and luck based, and may hinder your experience if you’re not looking at the game with the right mindset. You can avoid frustration if you treat the campaign as an experience first, and a board game second. Yes, there are winners and losers. Yes, you want to try to win. But ultimately, the campaign is a storyline, and it’s there to provide a good time. Something that is so fundamentally asymmetrical and dynamic as this campaign would be hard to perfectly balance, and if you find yourself critiquing the random elements of it, then you might want to reconsider what expectations you have from the campaign. If it continues to be an issue, then the campaign might not be the game for you.

Another controversial aspect of the campaign is the inclusion of timed rebel missions. Most of the campaign missions put the rebels on a time limit, requiring them to win within a specified number of rounds. While I didn’t find myself bothered by this, it’s not uncommon to hear people who get frustrated by it. A time limit increases the urgency of the mission, adding pressure to each decision, which can be stressful. I would argue that this is another instance where your perception of the game is very important. Rebels who try to stand around and fight every enemy lose to the time limit. If they think that’s what the game is about, then yes, it will absolutely be frustrated. But that’s not what the game is about. The game is Imperial Assault, literally the assault of the Empire over rebel forces. At no point in the Star Wars movies do the rebels outnumber the Imperials – in fact, in almost every scene they’re running from them, and trying to get stuff done in the process. This is exactly how campaign missions play out. The rebels in the movies couldn’t possibly hope to beat all the Imperials by force, and that is reflected in the campaign. By understanding the nature of the campaign and focusing on the objective, the time limit is an understandable addition. I would advise anyone who purchases this game to explain to the rebel players the nature of the campaign, and this will mitigate a lot of potential frustration.

Fortunately, the game compensates for this by packing in its wonderful skirmish mode. Do you like playing the game because you just like the mechanics? You want to move around Wookiees and Jedi and Stormtroopers, but don’t care for random surprises, sweeping storylines, or complicated objectives? Don’t want to commit to something and keep track of all your upgrades between missions? If so, the skirmish is perfect for you. It offers the gameplay mechanics, and none of the randomness of the campaign. That’s what I love about the game – it provides these great mechanics that make the game enjoyable to play, provides a campaign to give you something different and exciting, and then provides another system, the skirmish game, to take advantage of said mechanics if the campaign ever gets old or if you want to play something more competitive.

Playing Imperial Assault is like playing playing a futuristic game of space chess. No matter what you’re doing, you’re moving units around on a grid that each have their own abilities and limitations. The game is very visual, which makes your actions feel tangible rather than abstract – if you want your character to move to the end of the hall, you’ll move them to the end of the hall. If you kill a nearby stormtrooper, he’ll be removed off the board, etc. This is something that made the game easy for others to learn. Once you’re playing, Imperial Assault is a brilliant tactical exercise. The game will be vastly different every round depending on which units were brought in, how they were moved, what abilities they used, and how the opponents decided to counter each other. While I’ll elaborate a bit more on the tactical possibilities below, it suffices to say that it’s a whole lot of fun making these decisions and seeing a Star Wars story unfold before your eyes. This is a conflict game, so expect to be at odds with your opponent – if you don’t like getting aggressive, then Imperial Assault might not be the game for you. Fortunately, the campaign offers a nice balance in that department, providing a four player co-op experience, while still facing off against an enemy player.

There is a lot in this box, and it’s just a good time overall. Star Wars should be fun, and Imperial Assault lives up to its name in spades.