Custom Short Campaign: The Solo Story

Good morning gamers,

Last week, we looked at the Balance of the Force short campaign. Today’s campaign looks at another hero who was released in the Core Set: Han Solo. To play this campaign, you’ll need a copy of the Core Set AND the Han Solo Ally Pack.

Campaign Theme

This campaign is also a character-centered campaign (see our first post in this series for a few ideas on themes you can use): in it, we’re going to be playing through a week-in-the-life of the iconic smuggler Han Solo. In this campaign, Han will be hunted down by many people (and the heroes will be sent on various missions to get Han out of trouble or finding figures that he’s had bad experiences with in the past). As we go through, we’ll see the darker side of the underworld and the involvement it draws from the Empire.

Mission 1: Sorry About The Mess

There are two missions that can give you Han Solo as an ally: Sorry About The Mess (released in the Core Set) and Hunted Down (available in the Twin Shadows campaign). You can use either of them, but we’ve chosen the one from the Core Set. This mission involves keeping Han Solo alive – it’s hard for the IP to win this one, by the way. J On a side note, you don’t need to be able to crush the heroes in this fight – just Han.

Pre-Mission Briefing: With the Rebellion finally making strides against the Galactic Empire, they have made agreements with various unusual personalities. Among this list of persons is the famed Rebel hero, Han Solo. Thanks to a few helpful acts over the past few months (including assisting in the victory of the Battle of Yavin), Han Solo has called in a solid from Rebel High Command to get him out of a tight spot. To this end, your team has been sent to Tatooine to get the famous smuggler off the planet without being captured by the Empire . . . or anyone else who hates the Corellian smuggler.

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         6-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Imperial Officer (up to 2)

·         Jawa Scavenger                                     [Jawa Scavenger Villain Pack]

·         Elite Jawa Scavenger                            [Jawa Scavenger Villain Pack]

·         Probe Droid (up to 2)

·         Ugnaught Tinkerer (up to 2)                 [Bespin Gambit]

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): As you secure the ship for take-off, Han sets some coordinates into the nav computer. As he types, he says over his shoulder, “Thanks for coming to help me back there. I’d owe you one if you visited this guy I know – really made life hard for a friend of mine a while back.” As you look around from person to person, Solo adds, “This guy is wanted – might come out with some extra cash if you did it. . . . He’s located on Rayamal 22, which is not far from here, if you wanted a lift. . . .”

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): As you see Han wounded by blaster fire, you drag him off down a side street. By ducking into different alleys, you come across an abandoned house and you rest there for a bit, patching up the smuggler. “It’ll be a little while before I get out of here, I think . . . I feel terrible.” As he tries his best to sit on his own, he looks at your team and says, “Security was a bit stronger here than I thought – I really need to get to Rayamal 22 to pay a visit to this guy I know. He’s a jerk and really made life hard for a friend of mine a while back.” As you look around from person to person, Solo adds, “This guy is wanted – if you could visit him for me, you might come out with some extra cash. . . .”

Mission 2: High Moon

Since we’re following the life of the galaxy’s most famous smuggler, why not do the side mission for one of the Rebellion’s smugglers? If Jyn Odan isn’t being used in the campaign, the Rebel players will need to pick a figure to stand in for Jyn Odan for game rule purposes.

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         12-cost group if the Rebels won Han Solo as an ally

·         8-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Clawdite Shapeshifter            [Heart of the Empire]

·         Hired Gun                               [Hired Gun Villain Pack]

·         Jet Trooper (up to 2)              [Jabba’s Realm]

·         Nexu

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): As you celebrate your victory of vengeance on Szark, you head back to Rebel High Command in good spirits. Before you can jump to hyperspace, Rebel High Command tasks you with an immediate extraction of Han Solo. Apparently, the Rebel Captain has run afoul of a small Imperial fleet and is being pursued. They request that you immediately head to his last seen location and bring him safely back to the fleet.

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): Unable to catch Szark, you prepare to return to Rebel High Command. Before you can jump to hyperspace, Rebel High Command tasks you with an immediate extraction of Han Solo. Apparently, the Rebel Captain has run afoul of a small Imperial fleet and is being pursued. They request that you immediately head to his last seen location and bring him safely back to the fleet. You all seem to feel that your day couldn’t get any worse. . . .

Mission 3: Imperial Entanglements

Basically the entire story of The Empire Strikes Back is the chase for Han Solo. In this mission, that’s basically what we have.

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         12-cost group for triple the threat level deployment

·         Clawdite Shapeshifter            [Heart of the Empire]

·         Hired Gun                              [Hired Gun Villain Pack]

·         Jet Trooper                             [Jabba’s Realm]

·         Nexu

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): As you jump to hyperspace, you celebrate your victory and prepare to rejoin the Rebel Fleet. Unfortunately, you discover that your ship can’t make it all the way to the current location of the Rebel Fleet, so you stop for repairs and refueling on one of the moons of Nal Hutta. After preparing the ship for your final trip, you head to a local cantina for a quick drink. A few minutes after you arrive, you see both mercenary and Imperial forces securing the entrance to the cantina and approaching your table. With only seconds to prepare, you draw your weapons and attempt to make your way to the door. . . .

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): After a very hard day, you narrowly escape capture from the Empire. You make a list of needed repairs and land on one of the moons of Nal Hutta. After you arrive, you head to a local cantina to plan your next move. A few minutes after you arrive, you see both mercenary and Imperial forces securing the entrance to the cantina and approaching your table. With only seconds to prepare, you draw your weapons and attempt to make your way to the door. . . .

Mission 4: Wanted

In this finale, we see the power of the Empire allied with the strength of the galaxy’s best mercenaries. Thanks to the high Threat cost of this mission, you’ll be able to deploy some powerful elite units too, so have fun with it and close out the campaign with a bang!

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         12-cost group if the Rebels won Han Solo as an ally

·         10-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Dewback Rider                      [Captain Terro Villain Pack]

·         Elite Imperial Officer

·         ISB Infiltrator                        [ISB Infiltrator Villain Pack]

·         Elite Probe Droid

·         Riot Trooper (up to 2)            [Heart of the Empire]

·         Elite Ugnaught Tinkerer        [Bespin Gambit]

·         Weequay Pirate                      [Jabba’s Realm]

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): Against the odds, your team turns the tide against the joint Imperial-Mercenary army and you escape from the cantina. Your fame in battle is well-deserved and the denizens of Nal Hutta will tell of your tales for many days (if not years). As you blast through the atmosphere and prepare to jump into deep space, you can feel your cares drift behind you for today you escaped the best agents of the Empire and emerged victorious.

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): As the enemy’s ranks overwhelm your position, you feel a great feeling of dread come over you. As the servants of the Empire bind your hands, you are relieved to know that Captain Solo escaped the cantina and you hear the ship’s engines coming to life, bearing him out of harm’s way. A lot of good that does you, of course. . . .

I hope you get some great ideas for how to work these campaigns into your gaming sessions – until next time, happy gaming!

Character Review: Mak Eshka'rey

Character review: Mak Eshka'rey

The core game includes six of the best characters in Imperial Assault. We've covered Diala Passil and Gideon Argus in our Support section, as well as Gaarkhan and Fenn Signis in the splash characters section. Last week we covered Jyn Odan and today we continue our series on sharpshooter characters with the last of the core set characters: Mak Eshka'rey.

Mak Eshka'rey: The Rule of Four (Spaces and Actions)

Mak follows two different rules: first, you want to attack from at least 4 spaces away from your target. Thanks to his Covert rule, he can't be seen by his foes so long as he's 4 spaces away from them (which guarantees he can trigger Ambush for Pierce 2). Blue-Blue weapons (like his starter weapon) guarantee the Accuracy required, but Blue-Green combos work reliably too (as well as those with static Accuracy buffs).
Mak's second rule is this: try to get four actions each round. Half of Mak's upgrades allow him to perform extra actions (or basically perform extra actions). Disengage allows him to nearly make a free move, while Decoy allows Mak to avoid taking Damage (once) and perform a free move (effectively) and perform a free attack. Cards like Expertise and No Escape are more direct in handing out free actions, though they come at the cost of Strain. However you choose to do it, Mak can do more than most characters, so do as much as you can. With that, let's look at some character builds. . . .

End-Game Weapon #1 - Don't Argue With A Classic: Longblaster with Disruption Cell

Mak's Longblaster is a good starter weapon: it can turn any of its Surge into Damage and it gets no less than 4 Accuracy. With an estimated 3 Damage coming off the blaster and a Strain to activate Ambush, you're in good shape to clear out light units like Stormtroopers or Hired Guns in a single shot. Against healthier figures, though, you want to do a bit more Damage, so once you get to Tier 3, pick up the Disruption Cell to make one of those Blue die more reliable at doing Damage (though you're locked into 4 Accuracy more often). Until you get to Tier 3, I recommend the Bolt Upgrade, giving you a Red die instead of a Blue die. To get the Accuracy you want, pick up the Target Acquired upgrade to guarantee the Accuracy and open up new possible targets.
To flesh out this build, we're taking the Disengage upgrade (for extra movement, which not only makes Mak more survivable but also helps keep that Rule of Four alive), Jeswandi Training (for health and to become Focused), and Execute (to recover Strain and stop those pesky White dice from stopping your Damage output from being used).
This doesn't use all your XP, so use whatever extra you get on whatever else you want. What's more important is that you only spent 600 credits on your weapon, so you can buy the Combat Coat (or Responsive Armor) to protect yourself or Extra Ammunition to make your attack pool more reliable.

Upgrades to purchase - 8 XP: Disengage (1), Target Acquired (2), Jeswandi Training (2), Execute (3)

End-Game Weapon #2 - Heavy Assault: EE-3 Carbine with Under-Barrel HH-4 and Sniper Scope

We've talked about the A280 in many posts already. Today, we're talking about it's alter-ego, the EE-3 Carbine. Because Mak can Ambush, surging for Pierce 2 on the A280 is unnecessary. The EE-3 provides more static Accuracy but less surge-able Pierce. The EE-3 also uses a Green die instead of a Blue die, making it's Damage more reliable (and its Surge slightly more reliable) at the cost of a lower maximum Accuracy.
With a static 2 Accuracy from the blaster, a static 1 Accuracy from the Under-Barrel HH-4 (which opens up Blast options), and at least 2 Accuracy from the attack pool, you are guaranteed to get at least 5 Accuracy. This will trigger the Sniper Scope, which will provide you with a free Surge (which on this weapon translates into Damage 2 OR Blast 1, depending on what you need more). Using this should be pretty straight forward. Prior to getting to Tier 2 (when the EE-3 is available, put the Under-Barrel on your Longblaster - it won't trigger the Blast very often, but automatic Accuracy 5 on the Blue-Blue is pretty nice (and gets you used to being 5 spaces away earlier in the game).
For our upgrades, I recommend Jeswandi Training (you get 3 Green dice when Focused), but besides that, the doors are wide open. My recommendation is to pick up No Escape (get more out of your Sniper Scope) and Decoy (to get still more out of your Sniper Scope), though you can do whatever really.

Upgrades to purchase – 10 XP: Jeswandi Training (2), No Escape (4), Decoy (4)

End-Game Weapon #3 - Tactical Fighter: DL-44 with Plasma Cell and Overcharger

Now I'm just going to say this upfront: this costs a fair bit of cash. Coming in at 1200 credits, it's not the most expensive thing I've seen, but it's pretty pricey. To offset this a bit, we're taking Supply Network to make it more likely that Valuable Goods are picked up when searching crates.
The weapon itself is good: a Tier 1 weapon that surges for Damage 2 and can get Damage and Accuracy on the same Surge. Furthermore, because one of the die is Blue, you're guaranteed 4 Accuracy thanks to the Surge abilities on the weapon. Unlike the rifles we've viewed thus far, the Surge potential on this blaster is fantastic, giving us the ability to recover Strain much more easily.
To make life even better, the Plasma Cell gives us a Static Pierce 1, so we can skip using Ambush against White die targets and crush Black die targets with a single Strain. We can also turn up to 3 surge into Damage, giving us a maximum of Damage 6 + Pierce 3, which is pretty good. Finally, use the Overcharger to handle double Defense dice figures OR White die figures who irritate you.
Besides Supply Network, I recommend taking Expertise (to allow you to pick up a crate or open a door as a free action), Jeswandi Training (it's just a good card, can you tell?), and No Escape (so you can shoot more).

Upgrades to purchase – 10 XP: Supply Network (1), Jeswandi Training (2), Expertise (3), No Escape (4)

Mak Eshka'rey in the Skirmish Game

Let's start with this: Mak is cheap. Mak's Damage output is low (what you pay for having a Blue-Blue attack pool), but he ignores figures when drawing line of sight and can surge for Pierce 2 and Damage 1. While his Health isn't great, Mak Eshka'rey can sail in finish up figures who have been injured by others. To get the most out of him, use him with Leia Organa and Gideon Argus - Mak is a great second attacker for Leia's Battlefield Leadership special action and Gideon can make Mak Focused and call him in to attack with Take It Down!

In our final post for sharpshooter characters, we'll be looking at Loku Kanoloa - a character who gets plenty of Accuracy no matter what he uses and the ability to get static Damage and Surge results. Until then, happy gaming!

Skirmish Upgrades: Heroic Effort

Good morning gamers,

In the past few Rebel posts, we’ve focused on attachment Rebel skirmish upgrades (namely, On A Diplomatic Mission and Smuggler’sRun), but today’s post will be a little different (and more in line with our Black Market, Under Duress, and Zillo Technique posts): we’ll be looking at the Heroic Effort skirmish upgrade and one of the possible lists you can run with it.

Heroic Effort: Getting More Use Out Of Your Characters

Heroic Effort is simple: you must run deployment cards that are unique (all of them) and whenever someone dies, you can draw a Command card and place a Command card beneath your Command deck. This is a great way to get rid of a unique Command card (temporarily) that you can’t use anymore (because the guy who it belongs to has been defeated) OR a great way to get a better card now and delay use of a different card until later. Since this upgrade is only triggered when figures are killed, you’ll be better served by having a large team versus a small team. To maximize the utilities of this card, I propose the following list:

Heroic Effort: Sample List

• Gideon Argus with On A Diplomatic Mission
• Jarrod Kelvin with J4X-7 “Jax”
• Leia Organa
• Loku Kanoloa
• Mak Eshkarey
• MHD-19
• R2-D2
• Verena Talos
• Heroic Effort

Command Cards:

• Collect Intel x2 (2)
• Coordinated Attack (2)
• Deadeye
• Droid Mastery
• Heart of Freedom (2)
• Master Operative (2)
• Miracle Worker (2)
• Take Cover
• Take It Down (3)
• Terminal Network (2)
• To The Limit
• Recovery
• Fleet Footed
• Planning

There are three basic parts to this list:

• Card management characters,
• Augmenting characters, and 
• Offensive characters

On the card management side, we have the incredible team of Leia Organa and R2-D2. We’ve talked about Leia and R2-D2 in a previous post – R2 is a self-healer who lets you draw an extra Command card each turn (and turns into mega-Command-card-drawing-mode since we included Terminal Network). Leia lets you take Command cards from your discard pile and put them back in your deck, expanding the life of your Command deck dramatically. Taken with Heroic Effort, it allows you to find these cards faster (since you're placing a card you don't want from your hand at the bottom of your Command deck and picking a replacement card). I will admit I was tempted to drop Verena Talos, Mak Eshkarey, and the On a Diplomatic Mission upgrade to include Saska Teft and Jabba the Hutt (see our post on the Black Market upgrade for more info on the power of drawing cards with Jabba AND R2 AND Leia). Thematically, I’ve left him out to focus on the Rebel commander feel (though I love Jabba), but note that you could push the card-drawing envelope more by including him. You also get good card drawing from Planning - best used with one of the many leaders in the list (Gideon, Jarrod, or Leia).

On the augment side, you’ve got the powerful trio of Gideon Argus, MHD-19, and Jax – the companion droid of Jarrod Kelvin. We’ve talked about Gideon a lot in the On A Diplomatic Mission post in this series and gave some other ideas in our Strength inNumbers post. Gideon’s greatest contribution to this team is that he can Focus your figures, but don’t underestimate the power of giving 2 movement points to some of your figures. MHD-19 is a team healer who can self-heal and Focus himself when he attacks. While MHD is best employed running behind your power hitters, don’t underestimate his ability to deal damage to his foes (either with his gun or by performing an Improper Procedure). As we mentioned with Jabba in the To The Limit post, both MHD-19 and Gideon Argus can benefit phenomenally from the To The Limit Command card, as they can both enter "trance mode" and still use their special abilities to assist their team. MHD's ability to do this is much more limited (as Improper Procedure requires adjacent foes), but it's still there (and would allow you to heal yourself, perform an Improper Procedure, and then attack (hopefully while Focused?) before becoming Stunned.
Jax has problems killing figures due to a single Blue die (though the automatic Pierce 1 helps), so if he’s going to shoot at people, you want him to target White die figures (where he’s not that likely to mess up). The primary benefit he brings your team is an automatic Pierce 1 to one attack results against hostile figures adjacent to Jax each activation. This can turn a mediocre attack (even from figures like MHD or Gideon) into a decent attack OR turn a good attack (like Verena’s Close Quarters attack or the Fighting Knife special ability). You also get great augments from some of your command cards: healing cards like Recovery, Heart of Freedom, and Miracle Worker are fantastic, as well as movement cards (Fleet Footed and Heart of Freedom) and defense cards (Take Cover).

Then we have our damage team: Jarrod, Loku, Mak, and Verena. Jarrod and Verena are up-close-and-personal killers, while Loku and Mak provide fire from further away. Jarrod Kelvin’s Yellow-Yellow attack pool triggers some amazing surge abilities (Damage 2 and Pierce 2 is awesome), supported by a static Damage 1. Jarrod on defense is also great: a black die with an automatic Evade result – great at stopping most regular deployment cards from doing any damage at all! Verena Talos has a decent attack pool with decent surge abilities (she basically has a better version of the E-11 from campaign mode), but she really shines from borrowing other people’s weapons and using them against her foes (my favorites are Probe Droids and Elite Clawdite Shapeshifters). Loku Kanoloa has the Set Your Sights special ability that gives him bonus accuracy, ignoring figures in the way (so protect him!), and the ability to become Focused after he defeats a figure. Loku can’t perform any other actions when he uses this ability, so consider pushing him with Gideon to get the movement you need OR using Fleet Footed if you need just a little nudge in the right direction. Mak Eshkarey on the other hand can also ignore figures, but can move and shoot in a turn (and can clean out your opponent’s Command deck if he kills someone). Mak is probably the least reliable for damage out of the group, but if he can get a surge result, he's pretty good. Between these four guys, you can put a lot of fire on the board.

Supplementing the raw offense of these characters are some excellent Command cards: cards like Coordinated Attack and Take It Down increase the damage output of your turn. Master Operative relies on Verena's innate killing ability, but the addition of the Focus die as well as the free surge (guaranteeing the free Fighting Knife attack unless your opponent gets an Evade) makes her particularly deadly. While not as grand as the previous Command cards, Deadeye is very useful for characters like Verena (in case your Close Quarters attack doesn't get the range you wanted) or Loku (who gets only one Blue die to determine his range). 

This post closes out (at least for now) our series on skirmish upgrades. With this series ending, we’re going to turn our attention to the Campaign game and review Imperial Class Decks and different things you can do with them (and favored Imperial/Mercenary deployment cards to go along with them). Until then, happy gaming!

Custom Campaign: Balance of the Force

Good morning gamers,

As we begin our series of custom short campaigns, we begin today with two of the most iconic characters in Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. The “Balance of the Force” short campaign can be played simply by owning the Core Set and helps you enjoy some of the missions that involve the famous father and son.

Campaign Theme

This campaign is a character-centered campaign (see our previous post for a few ideas on themes you can use): in it, we’re going to be using Luke Skywalker in most of the missions and Darth Vader will feature prominently on the opposing side. Both Luke and Vader are powerful figures in Imperial Assault and in these missions, you get all the joys of using them and often avoid paying the high cost of fielding them. With this in mind, let’s get into the action.

Mission 1: Homecoming

Since the short campaigns begin with a Green mission, we begin with a journey to Tatooine (where Luke and Anikan both called home). This mission involves a lot of moving, but otherwise is a focus on killing lots of stuff (which, let’s face it, makes for a fun start to any campaign).

Pre-Mission Briefing: As the Rebellion continues its fight against the dreaded Empire, Commander Luke Skywalker has headed to Tatooine to recruit promising pilots for the Rebellion. After arriving at Tatooine, Skywalker’s communication trail ended, leaving many to wonder what became of the famed pilot who won the Battle of Yavin. In response to the threat of harm to the Rebellion’s greatest hero, a Rebel strike team has been sent to Tatooine to assist Skywalker in returning to the Rebel Fleet safely.

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         6-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Imperial Officer (up to 2)

·         Jawa Scavenger                                     [Jawa Scavenger Villain Pack]

·         Elite Jawa Scavenger                            [Jawa Scavenger Villain Pack]

·         Probe Droid (up to 2)

·         Ugnaught Tinkerer (up to 2)                 [Bespin Gambit]

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): As you jump to hyperspace to rejoin the Rebel Fleet, Luke turns to you and says, “Thanks for helping me out back there. The Imperial garrison here is stronger than I originally thought, so I didn’t want to send an emergency signal for fear of it being intercepted. I’m grateful for your help today and could use your help on a different task: I’ve felt a great disturbance in the force back on Yavin. I would check it out myself, but … well … I have a bad feeling about it. Do you think you could check it out in my stead?”

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): You are kept from reaching the transport and escaping, but Luke Skywalker takes you and your team down a back alley. After a few turns this way and that, you lose your pursuers. “They’ll be back – you’re not safe with me. I’ll find my own way back to the Rebellion, but I have another task for you: I’ve felt a great disturbance in the force back on Yavin. I would check it out myself, but … well … I have a bad feeling about it – and I doubt I’ll get out of here without being closely followed. Do you think you could check it out in my stead?”

Mission 2: Temptation

This is a “Force” campaign, so which mission would be better to do than Diala Passil’s reward mission? If Diala isn’t being used in the campaign, the Rebel players will need to pick a figure to stand in for Diala Passil for game rule purposes.

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         10-cost group if the Rebels won Luke Skywalker as an ally

·         8-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Clawdite Shapeshifter            [Heart of the Empire]

·         Hired Gun                               [Hired Gun Villain Pack]

·         Jet Trooper (up to 2)               [Jabba’s Realm]

·         Nexu

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): With the vision of Darth Vader defeated, the dark haze around the ruins clears. After caring for Shu Yen’s body, you prepare your preparations to return to the Rebel Fleet. On route, you are contacted by Rebel High Command, informing you that Commander Skywalker has made his report and believes there are valuable recruits to be gained on Tatooine. Apparently, word has spread amongst the locals of a team of Rebel Operatives who fought against the Empire to aid Skywalker in his escape – Rebel High Command would like to use your recent notoriety to gain some valuable new soldiers and pilots to the cause.

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): The power of the Dark Side and the ambush of the Empire proves to be too strong for your team to withstand. Your team beats a hasty retreat to return to the Rebel Fleet. On route, you are contacted by Rebel High Command, informing you that Commander Skywalker has made his report and believes there are valuable recruits to be gained on Tatooine. Apparently, word has spread amongst the locals of a team of Rebel Operatives who fought against the Empire to aid Skywalker in his escape – Rebel High Command would like to use your recent notoriety to gain some valuable new soldiers and pilots to the cause.

Mission 3: Sympathy For The Rebellion

This mission is the first mission so far where attribute tests will be required of the team to ensure mission victory. As such, while there will be plenty of fighting involved, it has a very different feel to other missions in this campaign (which are mostly roast-all-the-bad-guys).

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         10-cost group if the Rebels won Luke Skywalker as an ally

·         8-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Clawdite Shapeshifter            [Heart of the Empire]

·         Hired Gun                               [Hired Gun Villain Pack]

·         Jet Trooper                              [Jabba’s Realm]

·         Nexu

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): You quickly bring the recruits out of the Cantina bar and rush them and Luke Skywalker to a transport nearby. As the transport’s engines rev up and the ship begins to take off, you head to a different transport to leave Tatooine. As you exit the atmosphere and plot the coordinate for the jump to hyperspace, your scanners pick up an Imperial Star Destroyer approaching. Before you can make the jump, you are caught in the Destroyer’s tractor beam and are being steadily pulled towards the belly of the massive vessel. You only have a few minutes before you’re boarded and you know what they’re after: the location of Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Fleet. You quickly execute a code to wipe the computer’s communications’ log, but you’ll need time for the computer’s memory to be wiped clean – time you may not have as you hear Imperial boarding crews begin their work…

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): You quickly bring the recruits you could convince to join the Rebellion out of the Cantina bar and rush them and Luke Skywalker to a transport nearby. As the transport’s engines rev up and the ship begins to take off, you head to a different transport to leave Tatooine. As you exit the atmosphere and plot the coordinate for the jump to hyperspace, your scanners pick up an Imperial Star Destroyer approaching. Before you can make the jump, you are caught in the Destroyer’s tractor beam and are being steadily pulled towards the belly of the massive vessel. You only have a few minutes before you’re boarded and you know what they’re after: the location of Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Fleet. You quickly execute a code to wipe the computer’s communications’ log, but you’ll need time for the computer’s memory to be wiped clean – time you may not have as you hear Imperial boarding crews begin their work…

Mission 4: Dark Obsession

This is the finale – and what a finale it will be! Darth Vader will be trying to fight his way down a hallway surrounded by some allied troops, seeking to reach a computer console that will give him the location of Luke Skywalker! The Rebel’s objective is simply to stop him; the Imperial’s objective should be to get the doors open and to have Vader move as much as possible (though slashing occasionally can be really useful and fun).

Recommended Units for the IP:

·         10-cost group if the Rebels won Luke Skywalker as an ally (thematically, you shouldn't have Luke in the story, though)

·         10-cost group for double the threat level deployment

·         Dewback Rider                       [Captain Terro Villain Pack]

·         Elite Imperial Officer

·         ISB Infiltrator                         [ISB Infiltrator Villain Pack]

·         Elite Probe Droid

·         Riot Trooper (up to 2)             [Heart of the Empire]

·         Elite Ugnaught Tinkerer         [Bespin Gambit]

·         Weequay Pirate                       [Jabba’s Realm]

Post-Mission Briefing (on Victory): Though you find yourselves hard-pressed by your foes, you have bought enough time for the computer command to finish wiping the memory of your ship’s communications and navigation log. You duck into a side-corridor and jump into a small scout shuttle which has a hyperspace jump capability (much to your surprise). As you blast free from the captured ship and plot the jump to hyperspace, you are all intensely aware of how close you were to capture by the Empire. Thankfully, that experience will have to wait for another day. . . .

Post-Mission Briefing (on Defeat): Despite your best efforts, Lord Vader walks confidently into the control room and begins pulling up navigation data and call records. Using his arcane knowledge of the Force, he pulls up the origin of your trip from Rebel High Command to assist Luke Skywalker in recruiting space pilots from Tatooine. As the information is forwarded to the Star Destroyer’s Command Bridge, you are painfully aware of the surprise attack that is being planned for the Rebel Fleet and the likely torment you will face to gain additional information about Rebel High Command and their current operations. . . .

I hope you get some great ideas for how to work these campaigns into your gaming sessions. In our next post in this series, we'll be looking at "The Solo Story" - a short campaign centered around the famous smuggler Han Solo. Until next time, happy gaming!

Character Review: Jyn Odan

As an avid fan of Han Solo, the iconic "rogue smuggler" has always been the defining picture of Star Wars (even above a Jedi/Sith wielding a lightsaber or ranks upon ranks of clean, white Stormtrooeprs). In the Core Set, we were given a smuggler and she is - in so many ways - everything you could ever want in a smuggler. Jyn Odan is fast, tech-savvy, and wields pistols like no one else. All told, she's fun to play as and we'll be diving into some of her options today.

Jyn Odan: One Pistol Or Two

Let’s get something out of the way from the get-go (I’ve said this in previous posts, but it bears repeating): Jyn’s starter weapon is one of the worst starter weapons in the game. Jyn’s Vintage Blaster gives you a Green-Green combo (which admittedly has good, reliable damage at short range), and while it can be trusted to get 4 Damage, the ability to surge for only 1 Damage makes it hard to do more than 1-2 Damage (which admittedly will trigger Opportunist) against your average Black die defense. Compared to other starter pistols, Jyn’s weapon is decent (getting more expected Damage than Vinto’s Hair-Trigger Pistol, MHD-17's Sidearm Blaster, and Murne’s Diplomat’s Blaster but less expected Damage than Gideon’s Holdout Blaster, Saska’s Modified Blaster, and Verena’s Military Blaster). If we're honest, none of the starter pistols hold a candle to other starter weapons (Gaarkhan's Vibro-Ax, Biv's Repeating Blaster, Shyla's Duelist's Blade, or Drokkatta's MGL-9 "Boomer"). For more info on Gaarkhan's weapon and Drokkatta's weapon, view our posts on them.

The Vintage Blaster could be better, but since Jyn requires a pistol for her Quick Draw ability, the main question you need to answer is this: do I use one pistol or two? Thanks to her Gunslinger upgrade, you can have two pistols and you choose one of them for any attack you declare (but can use the surge abilities from both). Since there are many pistols available in the game, here’s a quick run-down of their utilities for Gunslinger:

Pistol Name (Set Required)	Tier - Cost	Attack Pool	Surge for Damage 2?
DH-17 (Core)	1 – 200	Yellow-Green	Yes*
Charge Pistol (HotE)	1 – 350	Green-Green	No
Hand Cannon (JR)	1 - 400	Red-Red	No
DL-44 (Core)	1 – 500	Yellow-Blue	Yes
DDC Defender (RtH)	1 – 500	Yellow-Green	No
DT-12 Heavy Blaster Pistol (Greedo)	2 - 600	Green-Green	No
434 Deathhammer (Core)	2 - 600	Red-Blue + Damage 1	No
Disruptor Pistol (BG)	3 – 700	Red-Green	Yes**
Sporting Blaster (Core)	3 – 900	Yellow-Yellow-Blue	Yes***

*Actually, it's Damage 1 + Pierce 1                      ** Actually, it’s Damage 3                      *** Actually, it's Pierce 2

The weapons that can surge for Damage 2 are excellent to have when you’re using Gunslinger – often as the non-primary weapon. We’ll show a few of these options in our post today, but before you judge too harshly, remember that all of these pistols are better than the one you start with and all have their merits as excellent weapons (so don’t get tied up with one particular weapon build that’s “best” for Jyn).

One final note I’ll say about these weapons: pistols are (generally speaking) short-range weapons (1-4 spaces away). While some (like the DL-44) have incredible range potential, most pistols are intended to be used up-close. This can make Jyn very vulnerable to attacks and she’s also one of only a few characters (Diala and MHD-17 unless he gets his class card) who can’t increase either her Health or her Endurance with upgrades. I don’t recommend running off on your own with Jyn – she needs to stay healthy to keep her Endurance up, so don’t get wounded! With that, let’s get into it. . . .

End-Game Weapon #1 – Quick Draw: DH-17 with Spread Barrel and DT-12 Heavy Blaster Pistol

One of the great things about Jyn Odan is that she can interrupt a hostile figure’s activation and perform an attack against him. With this power comes the responsibility to position Jyn in the right place at the right time (next to someone she can kill). Jyn’s Cheap Shot upgrade makes her Quick Draw slightly more potent by adding a static Damage 1 to the attack results. But this got me to thinking: what if you could interrupt to perform a free attack with your weapon after being shot at as well? Enter the DT-12 Heavy Blaster Pistol. This gun (available in the Greedo Villain Pack) is remarkably similar to Jyn’s beloved Vintage Blaster, but is better in two key ways: first, instead of surging for +1 Accuracy, you can surge for +2 Accuracy AND Pierce 1 (making it more likely that you do the equivalent of 4 damage whenever you attack and guarantees at least Damage 1 + Pierce 1 at Accuracy 4). The second reason it’s better is because at the cost of 2 Strain (the same as Quick Draw), you can interrupt after someone shoots at you to make an attack of your own!

To supplement the DT-12, we’re taking Gunslinger and the DH-17 (which I actually think is the better primary blaster): this weapon is dirt cheap (makes up for the 600 credits you’ll need to spend on the DT-12) and can hold two mods – I’ve chosen the Spread Barrel (tap that for that extra damage that you need at close range) though if you have the cash, you should also look into the Overcharger (for when you run up against a figure with multiple defense die OR who is rolling a white die and you want to guarantee they die). The DH-17 is more likely to surge and since you can turn up to 3 surge into Damage 2 + Pierce 2 + Accuracy 2, it’s better to use than the Green-Green alternative. Surge priority is:

1.       Damage 1 + Pierce 1;

2.       Accuracy 2 + Pierce 1; and

3.       Damage 1.

Besides Gunslinger and Cheap Shot, we’ve chosen the Quick As A Whip upgrade – giving you the ability to scoot one space (not movement point) after being shot at (perfect for getting closer before unloading with the DT-12). With all the strain going around, I also recommend Get Cocky – you can choose to become Focused if you want to up your damage profile, but I prefer to remove the 2 Strain – guarantees that if you use Quick Draw to finish someone off, you can remove the Strain from that interrupt to trigger the DT-12 when his compadre activates and takes his vengeance on you. Finally, we cap it all off with Smuggler’s Luck. Jyn should always take Smuggler's Luck FIRST. There is nothing worse than opening a crate and getting something you don’t like (or not drawing the pistol that you want in the Rebel Upgrade stage) – for 1 XP, getting a re-do on the crate reward you drew AND getting an extra equipment choice is fantastic (and let’s face it, rerolls on attribute tests are awesome too).

Upgrades to purchase - 10 XP: Quick As A Whip (1), Smuggler’s Luck (1), Cheap Shot (2), Get Cocky (3), Gunslinger (3)

End-Game Weapon #2 – Concentrated Fire: Disruptor Pistol with Plasma Cell

If you’re looking at all the expansions thus far and you want maximum damage from a pistol, you need to get the Disruptor Pistol with the Plasma Cell. Coming in at over 1000 credits, you’re looking at an automatic 2 Accuracy with a Green die supporting it (so Accuracy 3-5) and TONS of damage. Thanks to the Plasma Cell, any surge you get turns into damage and the first surge turns into 3 Damage! Against a Black die, you’re expected to do 3-4 damage (that’s 5 damage with Cheap Shot on your Quick Draw), which is painful for any figure to have to endure. With this weapon build, Jyn does a TON of damage.

The “concentrated fire” build for Jyn is pretty simple: give her the strongest, loudest gun you can find and have her shoot holes through the enemy as fast as you can. To maximize on all this damage, we’re taking BOTH of Jyn’s 4 XP upgrades: Trick Shot and Sidewinder. Since you can do an overwhelming amount of damage, you want to be able to pick whatever target you want. With Trick Shot, you can choose a space within 3 spaces (but it doesn’t have to be within line of sight) to use as your point of view – this is a great way to hit figures who are standing behind another figure OR are hiding behind impassible/blocking terrain. Your accuracy is still drawn from you, so be sure to pick someone close by that you can’t see if you want to use this ability (comes at the cost of 1 Strain, so you don’t NEED it). Sidewinder is (in my estimation) the better skill: after you attack, you may move up to 2 spaces (not 2 movement points), which becomes 3 spaces if you are healthy thanks to Opportunist. This gives you (almost) a free movement action every time you attack – allowing you to shoot twice on your turn AND once during a hostile figure’s activation and move 6-9 spaces (depending on whether you did damage with each of your attacks)! Jyn is a Speed 5 character, but with this build, you can basically perform the equivalent of a double move WITHOUT USING A MOVE ACTION!

If you want to get some power out of your weapons before reaching Tier 3, I recommend the DL-44 or the 434 Deathhammer – they’re fantastic weapons (and the Deathhammer comes in just slightly below the Disruptor Pistol for overall damage, so if you never see the Disruptor Pistol, that's okay). The Charge Pistol is a good Tier 1 option too if you don’t get the DL-44 (and of course the DH-17 – but we’ve already covered that one).

Upgrades to purchase – 11 XP: Smuggler’s Luck (1), Cheap Shot (2), Trick shot (4), Sidewinder (4)

End-Game Weapon #3 – Shoot All The Things: DH-17 and DDC Defender with Charged Ammo Pack

If you recall our post two weeks ago on Vinto Hreeda, you’ll remember that there’s a build for him that allows you to perform many attacks a turn, thanks to the DDC Defender. As a Tier 1 weapon, it’s really good – 3 attacks in 2 actions anyone? Well, today we present the same option with Jyn, except this time we’ll be pairing this weapon with the DH-17 (which we’ve already looked at above) and tacking on the Charged Ammo Pack. With your 3 attacks each turn from the DDC Defender, you’ve got the following surge priority:

1.       Damage 1 + Pierce 1;

2.       Damage 1; and

3.       Damage Power Token (which you can use first if you aren’t going to be able to crack your opponent’s armor).

While the DL-44 provides better damage than the DH-17, it costs more than the DH-17 AND the Charged Ammo Pack. Yes, getting Damage 4 from 3 surge is probably better than Damage 2 + Pierce 1 + Damage Power Token, but the Damage Power Token allows you to bank a token when you’re already killing your target (which the DL-44 doesn’t give you). Unlike the last case, you’re expecting to get 2-3 Damage past a Black die (only 1 point less than the previous), but you can get this build at Tier 1 (early in the campaign) versus at Tier 3 (at the end of the campaign). You can also do 3 attacks with it (four with Quick Draw), giving you roughly the same damage output.

For upgrades, we’re taking Cheap Shot and Smuggler’s Luck (duh – they’re just nice to have), as well as Gunslinger and Sidewinder (duh – we’re taking two pistols and we can get 8-12 spaces of movement without using movement actions). While this is an incredibly powerful build, there is a key question that you'll need to answer: 

Which upgrades do I get first? 

Sidewinder is great for action conservation, but it’s expensive and will keep you from using Gunslinger early. Cheap Shot is probably your least necessary upgrade, so in a short campaign, you might want to take Sidewinder and Smuggler’s Luck early and save up for Gunslinger and Cheap Shot later (talk someone else into holding the DH-17 for you until you can Gunslinger with it).

Upgrades to purchase - 10 XP: Smuggler’s Luck (1), Cheap Shot (2), Gunslinger (3), Sidewinder (4)

Jyn in the Skirmish Game

Jyn Odan has come up in one of our Skirmish Upgrade posts already (Smuggler’s Run). For only 5 deployment points, she's fast, decently healthy, and has Cunning (to get more Block out of that White die). Her surge abilities are good, allowing her to turn any surge she gets on her Green-Green combo into Damage (and she gets both Stun or Accuracy out of it too). True to her campaign version, she can interrupt once per round to attack someone with Hair Trigger (works basically like Quick Draw) - great for cleaning the clock of someone you almost killed (or taking out a perfectly healthy Regular Stormtrooper). She's a great addition to any Smuggler list (be they Rebel or Mercenary) and I highly recommend her.

In our next post, we’ll be changing from our short-range sharpshooter to the first of our long-range sharpshooters with Mak Eshkarey. While his fellow sharpshooter Loku Kanoloa can gain more Accuracy than any other figure in the game (we’ll talk about him in two weeks), Mak is the only character who gains special bonuses from being far away from his targets (and this leads to some interesting weapon and upgrade choices). Until next time, happy gaming!