It was the 1977, and in the midst of the sci-fi boom a somewhat eclectic character, George Lucas, gave life to what is perhaps, nowadays, the most followed and loved saga of all time. We are talking, of course, about Star Wars.
Countless words have been spent on this modern era masterpiece and its iconic characters, and it is no coincidence that a giant like Disney is the current owner of this futuristic world. By the way we are not going to talk about this saga in the article, but about how the world of board games has benefited, or not, from it.
In the playful landscape, the great entertainment brands are often the entrance ticket for many newbies who, charmed by Harry Potter, Frodo and companions, Fremen and Bene Gesserit or Spock and Kirk, throw their hearts over the obstacle to participate to epic adventures, or epic management, or epic… fillers, strictly made to play like board game. Great advantage for those who are an expert and want to convince a friend who is passionate about the film, or the video game, to sit and challenge him. But exploiting a brand to create a board game is only about this, or is there something else?
The world of Star Wars is perhaps the most used in the universe of board games: dozens and dozens of titles, from Star Wars: X-Wings to Star Wars: Rebellion, Star Wars: Outer Rim, released in recent years. Bad design or masterpieces?
We are talking, for example, about Imperial Assault. Fantasy Flight, which currently holds the rights of the Star Wars board game landscape, has created the “app driven” genre with this game: valiant soldiers of the rebellion will have to defend themselves from the Empire’s attacks and, through epic battles instructed by the application, they will accumulate items and abilities and will become stronger and stronger (but never like Darth Vader … If that miniature comes into play, better run away!). It is an exciting game, full of twists, narrative and strategic. The application greatly simplifies the gameplay, without however distorting the analogical soul of the game, and helps a lot beginners to immerse themselves in the atmosphere without too much difficulty. In short, not a simplistic transposition of the movie, but a solid game engine. The proof of the success is that the app-driven genre was then applied to several other non-Star Wars themed games, such as Descent: Legends of Darkness, Houses of Madness or The Lord of the Rings: Journeys in Middle-earth. The beginning of an era.
And what about Star Wars: Rebellion? On a larger scale, the Empire and the Rebel Alliance will wage a war of conquered or sabotaged planets, in an epic … Star War! It is a game designed for 2 players, possibly up to 4 (two per faction). In a gigantic box there are dozens of miniatures representing spaceships, ground vehicles, soldiers and, of course, Death Stars. It is still considered one of the best 2 player board games, for years in the top 100 of the best board games of BoardGameGeek. I wouldn’t add anything else except… just play it!
And let’s end talking about Star Wars: Outer Rim. The absolutely brilliant idea of Fantasy Flight was to transpose one of the spin-offs of the saga, the Outer Rim, an area of smuggling and illegality at the edges of the galaxy, into a solid board game where the cards rule the gameplay. The Mandalorian TV series has certainly led the way, but the storytelling in the game, the continuous exploration of the various planets of the Rim, the collection of bounties and the management of your own ship brought a truly immersive experience, highly recommended for true enthusiasts of the Star Wars saga. One gem after another, you will handle credits of dubious origin. Not really a game for newbies, but not for hardcore gamers either. Passed with full marks.
And so, the final verdict can only be … negative! I mean, no, Star Wars in these games is definitely not the glossy cover of a badly written book, but it’s the icing on a cake that, even if it wasn’t there, the cake would still have been delicious. For the games of Fantasy Flight, we praise and honor for the commitment and for having transformed a splendid saga into splendid board games. May the force always be with you!
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