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| image from here |
Overview
Rebellion is a game with asymmetric victory conditions. You play either as the Empire (goal: find and destroy the Rebel base) or the Rebellion (goal: keep the base hidden and earn 'reputation' points to end the game sooner). The game is played over rounds (with three phases in each), with a time marker (starting at 1) indicating which round is current and advancing after a round's completion. The Rebel's reputation marker starts at 14 (on the same track as the time marker) and can be moved down the track (towards 1) based on reputation points earned. The game ends when one of two things happen:
- Imperial victory: the Empire finds and destroys the Rebel base.
- Rebel victory: the time marker is co-located with the reputation marker.
Each side has leaders which can be deployed each round to complete missions (drawn from a mission card deck) or move combat units (built over time and deployed to systems).
Whenever the Empire puts ground units in a system, the Rebel player must indicate whether or not the Rebel base is there. If it's not, the Empire gets that much closer to learning where it is- and the noose tightens. If it is, then the race is on to protect, move, or destroy the Rebel base.
Simplified Gameplay
Each round consists of three phases:
Assignment phase:
Each player, in alternating fashion, chooses a mission card from their hand to attempt that round. They place the mission card face-down and 1-2 leaders (with appropriate abilities matching the mission needs) on top of it. You can play as many mission cards each round as you wish (if you have the leaders to attempt them). You may want to keep some leaders in reserve, though, to be used for movement or in combat.
Command phase
Players take turns revealing and attempting missions or placing leaders in systems to 'activate' them (this is required to be able to move units into that system).
Successful missions or activations may result in a number of things. Some examples:
- It's a mechanism for both sides to claim systems (either through subjugation or loyalty), extending influence and granting resources to build units in future rounds.
- If Rebel and Imperial forces end up in the same system, space or ground combat occurs (combat is simple but will not be covered here), which helps the victor erode the loser's unit strength and galactic sphere of control.
- Sabotage, capturing leaders, flipping loyalty of systems . . . so many things can be done through successful missions to change the playing field.
Refresh phase
Players retrieve all leaders (placed on the board in the Command phase) and draw new mission cards. The Imperial player draws probe cards (each reveal a system where the Rebel base is not located) and the Rebel player draws an objective card (which allows him to earn reputation points if certain conditions are met). The time marker is advanced, units under construction are advanced or deployed, and the next round begins.
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| Game in progress; image from here |
This is a good game. It captures the feel of the original trilogy- fans of both Star Wars and gaming will be thrilled. Fantasy Flight achieves a good balance between simplicity and depth- players can do almost anything (space/ground combat, intel missions, capture leaders, etc.), but the rules are simple to pick up. Impressive . . . most impressive. The only downside? The game will take 3-4 hours to complete.
You can visit the official website here for rules and more information, or watch a live review here.
Rating: A
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