Save the Galaxy or Crush it Under Your Thumb With Fantasy Flight’s ‘Star Wars Rebellion’ Board Game

If you haven't been paying attention to the legions of incredibly tabletop games released over the course of the past few years, you might not know that there's been an incredible resurgence in the genre. The trend of intricate strategy games that make use of great miniatures has been filled with some remarkable entries as of late, and a good number of them have come from the same place: Fantasy Flight Games. Already well regarded in the Star Wars gaming space due to the fantastically deep X-Wing game, the company is hoping its next big effort, Star Wars Rebellion, will entrench it even further in the fandom.

Pitting up to four players against each other for the fate of the galaxy, Star Wars Rebellion lets you step into the shoes of the Empire or the Rebellion with the hopes of keeping the other at bay long enough to save or rule the universe. Quite literally in fact, as the game, which includes 150 different miniatures for both sides of the Galactic Civil War, features a playing space that spans most of the known planets from the original trilogy, all of which are up for grabs. Provided that they haven't been blown into a million tiny pieces by the Death Star. Yeah, there's an active, playable Death Star and I can't wait to use it.

Players will be split up on either side of the conflict, with the rule set dictating Rebellion's three phrases can be completed in about four hours. As the Rebel Alliance, it's up to you turn worlds to your favor in the hopes you can recruit them to your cause. You'll have to fend of the Empire at every turn, and that includes on the ground or in space battling it out fleet against fleet. The Empire has a great many resources as its disposal, including that big ol' space station that could easily be mistaken for a moon. Putting worlds under your control or destroying them are valid options in ensuring galactic domination.

There aren't just miniatures to use though, as there are 170 different cards, including memorable characters and actions, to put to use. Things like freezing a character in carbonite or putting a bounty on them should shake things up, as should putting Luke through Jedi training and putting Han and Leia on a secret mission to secure more support for the Alliance. Hell, you'll even be able to capture spies and interrogate them for crucial details like locations of bases. It all sounds so incredibly deep and involved for a game that only takes a few hours to play. You could even start construction on a second Death Star, which comes with its own set of rules and guidelines if you're feeling extra ambitious.

There are a great many more details in how to play and win Star Wars Rebellion, and you can learn more about it from Fantasy Flight's website. The game isn't due out until sometime in 2016, but is expected to retail for $99.95 when it arrives.

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