X-Wing Galactic Civil War Episode III: Dathomir

Welcome to the third instalment of our X-Wing Campaign! If you want to read the campaign rules, please go here! And to read Episode I, click here - and Episode II can be found here!

On Turn 3 of the Campaign, the Empire, perhaps drawn to the strong presence of the dark side of the force, attempt to take Dathomir. They send forces to take the world, seeking avoid another failure such as they suffered on Dantooine.

The Galaxy Map at the start of Turn 3
Located in the Quelli Sector of the Outer Rim, Dathomir is an uninviting world which is perpetually bathed in a red mist. The world's most famous natural inhabitants are the Rancor; huge vicious creatures to some, most valued of pets to others.

Dathomir

With both forces on Renown of 2, they can both field ships with Pilot Skill 1 or 2.

Both opt to use the same forces as matched each other over Dantooine, with the Rebels bringing 3 X-Wings and a U-Wing to the fight...

X-Wing Build x3
U-Wing Build
...while the Empire sends a TIE Defender, 2 TIE Interceptors, a TIE Bomber and a TIE Fighter to deal with enemy Rebel ships.

Can the Empire strike back?
Set Up. The Imperials once again pack their TIEs in a tight formation. The Rebels seek to negotiate the asteroids in an attempt to flank the TIE line.

Set Up
Turn 1: Rejecting the hesitant opening of the previous battle, the Imperials move their ships to attack speed and launch a vicious assault upon the closest X-Wing! Caught off-guard and out of position, the X-Wing loses all of its shields and its astromech!

TIEs swarm forward to engage the closest X-Wing!
Turn 2: The Rebels swoop around and a hail of deadly fire is exchanged between both formations! One TIE Interceptor bumps the U-Wing and is fortunate not to suffer damage or ionisation from the U-Wing! The other TIE Interceptor suffers 2 damage including a critical hit which states that if the ship lands on an asteroid or bumps another ship, it will suffer 1 damage and be destroyed!

Turn 2 post-movement
The TIE Bomber unleashes Cluster Missiles at the U-Wing but somehow the ship manages to sail through the deadly barrage! It cannot escape an attack from the TIE Defender though as it strips 3 shields! Interceptors concentrate their fire to destroy the lead X-Wing!

There's...too many of them!
End of Turn 2
Turn 3: Struggling to get back into attack position, the Rebels are in disarray with no ships able to fire this turn! The Empire press their advantage and strip another X-Wing of all shields and destroy its astromech! The Bomber once again contrives to fail to land a single hit with the backup cluster missiles! Only its primary weapon is left now...

End of Turn 3
Turn 4: The TIE Defender and TIE Bomber close in on the X-Wing while the Rebels are reduced to shooting at range...

Turn 4 Post-Movement
...but they make it count, somehow destroying both TIE Interceptors! Already on the brink, the X-Wing cannot evade such heavy fire from the Defender and Bomber and it too is destroyed in the exchange!

Turn 4 is deadly for both sides!
End of Turn 4
Turn 5: The TIE Bomber suffers an incredible four damage from the X-Wing!

End of Turn 5
Turn 6: Both forces try to regroup but the TIE Fighter is ionised after it bumps the U-Wing...

End of Turn 6
Turn 7: More repositioning. The TIE Fighter bumps the U-Wing but suffers no damage (the ion token should not be there). The TIE Defender and Bomber manage to inflict more damage upon the U-Wing from afar. It only has 3 damage left!

End of Turn 7
Turn 8: Both sides are able to attack but do little to the other...

Turn 8 Post-Movement
...except for the lone TIE fighter which inflicts 2 critical hits on the U-Wing!

The U-Wing takes 2 crits! Can it survive?
One of the crits on the U-Wing is a Minor Explosion! The damage dice is rolled and it suffers another hit, destroying it in a spectacular explosion!

Critical Roll!
End of Turn 8
Turn 9: The TIE Fighter comes under fire but hangs on in there!

End of Turn 9
The Imperial Fighters swarm around the last X-Wing, looking to deliver the killing blow - but all three are on the brink with only one damage left! The X-Wing attacks, targeting the deadly TIE Defender...

Turn 10 Post-Movement
...and obliterates it! An instant before destruction however, the TIE Defender looses a final volley - and eliminates the last X-Wing!

End of Turn 10
The Rebels are defeated! Glory to the Empire!



The Imperial flag flies over Dathomir on the galaxy map!

Current Renown: Imperials 3, Rebels 2.
Note: This means Imperials can field ships with PS3 or lower next battle, Rebels PS2 or lower.
It will be the Rebels' turn to attack next but on the next Imperial turn they can attempt to unlock one of their pilots!

The Galaxy Map at the end of Episode III
Watch this space for Episode IV - coming soon!

X-Wing Galactic Civil War Episode II: Dantooine

Welcome to the second instalment of our X-Wing Campaign! If you want to read the campaign rules, please go here! And to read part one, click here.

On Turn 2 of the Campaign, Rebel intelligence identify that Dantooine would make an excellent regional base of operations and move to secure the system. The Empire send forces to engage the Rebel fleet and stymie any sense of hope that a Rebel victory may inspire across the galaxy.

Galaxy Map at the start of Turn 2 Dantooine is on the extreme left of the board
Located in the Raioballo sector on the outer rim, Dantooine is a pleasant world of grasslands, rivers and lakes. It has a small population, mostly living in small communities. The world has no industry or advanced technology.

A Rebel Vessel approaches Dantooine
After victory went to the Empire in the first battle, the Imperials' Renown is 2, meaning they can field Pilots with Pilot Skill of 1 or 2 while the Rebels are still restricted to Pilots of Pilot Skill 1.

The Rebels are fielding 3 X-Wings and a U-Wing. In the opening skirmish neither the Rebel and Imperial player were aware of the improvements made to the X-Wings as a result of the Saw's Renegades set. Today's Rebel player is hoping to make the most of those changes!

X-Wing Build x 3
U-Wing Completes Rebel List

After their success in the opening battle, the Imperials are once again bringing a TIE Defender and two TIE Interceptors along with a lone TIE fighter, although this time they will call upon a TIE Bomber armed with missiles to complete their force.

Imperial List

First of all - apologies, we were so eager to get on with the game that we neglected to take pics of the set up and first two turns! We did realise in time to at least note down what happened...

Set Up. The Imperials set up in a row of five on the edge of their baseline (board edge) while the Rebels set up their three X-Wings and U-Wing in a row opposite, although in their case, at the edge of the range one set up space.

Turn 1: Both sides moved cautiously forward with no ships coming into firing range.

Turn 2: The U-Wing pushed forward and the TIEs hit it with everything they could, stripping it of shields! The Rebels targeted the TIE Defender, stripping its shields and inflicting 1 point of damage!

Photos capture the acton from Turn 3 onwards...

Turn 3: With the Rebels holding initiative and moving first, concern about X-Wings making Speed 1 manoeuvres to block resulted in the Imperials opting not to make K-Turns. The Rebel player quite brilliantly anticipated this and put 2 of his X-Wings on K-Turns to get behind the bulk of the Imperial line! The 2 Interceptors are out of arc this turn as is the Rebels' U-Wing...

Turn 3 Post-Movement: X-Wings get the jump on the Imperials!
The TIE Bomber launches a devastating attack as Cluster Missiles hammer the nearest X-Wing, stripping it of shields and inflicting heavy damage - the sacrifice of the integrated astromech is all that saves it from destruction! The Defender and TIE Fighter strip the shields of the X-Wing before them...

...but the Rebels destroy the TIE Defender! It's a huge setback for the Empire early on in proceedings!

The TIE Defender is obliterated!
End of Turn 3
Turn 4: The Empire strikes back! The Interceptors and TIE fighter perform K-Turns and, backed up by the TIE Bomber strip all shields from enemy fighters as well as destroying their astromechs! More importantly, an X-Wing is destroyed!

An X-Wing Rookie is Roasted!
The Rebels by comparison have a poor turn as an X-Wing and the U-Wing cannot fire. The X-Wings are unable to land any blows on their enemies.

End of Turn 4

Turn 5: The Rebels adjust their flight patterns to reposition.  The U-Wing inflicts damage on the TIE fighter.

End of Turn 5

Turn 6: A series of bumps work out in the Rebels' favour. The Empire inflicts no damage this turn - but the TIE bomber suffers a massive 5 hits while one X-Wing finishes off the TIE fighter from range!

Whoa! That got him!
End of Turn 6
Turn 7: The Imperials come around again. They desperately need to mete out some punishment this turn to get back into the game!

Imperials have good position - but so too do the Rebels!
But they can't land a single hit! The Rebels have no such problems however as one Interceptor takes two hits and the other is destoryed!

Scratch a TIE Interceptor!

Turn 8: The last TIE Interceptor bumps the U-Wing, triggering the anti-pursuit lasers! A hit is rolled and the Interceptor is vaporised! The TIE Bomber gets into range but fails again to land any damage! It, in turn suffers heavy returning fire and is destroyed!

Turn 8 Post Movement

"Outstanding Red Team, outstanding. I'll getcha a crate of beer for that one." 
The Rebels are victorious!



The Rebel flag flies over Dantooine on the galaxy map! Having scored their first success against the Empire, Mon Mothma issues an impassioned call for people across the galaxy to rise up against their Imperial oppressors! Various Rebel cells soon after rendezvous over the regional base of operations on Dantooine and for the first time the entire Rebel fleet is assembled!

The Galaxy Map at the end of Episode II
Can the Rebels build upon their success? Find out in Episode III - coming soon!


X-Wing Galactic Civil War Episode I: Ilum

War! In a stunning move, the fiendish Emperor Palpatine has all but eliminated the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, the Jedi Knights. 

The Old Republic has been replaced by the evil Galactic Empire. Several thousand solar systems have declared their allegiance to the Empire. Now, with the aid of his apprentice, Darth Vader, the Emperor seeks to bring the rest of the galaxy under his rule. 

The hastily assembled Rebel Alliance have declared their intention to fight to restore freedom to the galaxy. Over the ice world of Ilum, a small band of Rebels engage swarming Imperial TIE Fighters in a desperate bid to secure their first victory against the evil Empire...


Welcome to the first of what will be a great many campaign logs! If you want to familiarise yourself with the campaign rules, please have a look here.

On Turn 1 of the Campaign, the Empire moves to seize control of Ilum, a world which, due to its vast supply of kyber crystals, was one of (if not the) most sacred place to the Jedi. Realising the importance of the world, the Rebels send a fleet of ships to contest the world and begin the Galactic Civl War...

Ilum is located in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy (bottom left of the galaxy map).

Note that there are certain pilots associated with particular locations which may be unlocked as the campaign progresses, but this will not happen until later on...

The Galaxy Map
Planet Ilum
In this opening encounter, both sides will be fielding 100 point forces. Both sides start the campaign with Renown of 1, meaning they can only field pilots with a Pilot Skill of 1. Note that it is 1st Edition X-Wing Miniatures Game rules which are being in this campaign.

First up, the Rebels are bringing 2 A-Wings and 2 YT-1300s - a stock YT-1300 and customised YT-1300 - to contest Ilum. The Hotshot co-pilots on the YT-1300s ensure that the Imperials will not be using Focus tokens in this battle.
Rebel List Part 1
Rebel List Part 2
The Imperial list. They are bringing 3 TIE fighters, 2 TIE Interceptors and a TIE Defender to wipe out the Rebel scum...
Imperial List Part 1
Imperial List Part 2
Set up. The Imperials send their TIEs into battle in a tight formation. The Rebel force is split in two.

Set Up

All pictures that follow show the state of play at the end of a given turn.

Turn 1:

Both sides accelerate to attack speed but remain out of range. The Rebels hastily try to regroup, a YT-1300 and A-Wing having to navigate a treacherous grouping of asteroids over Ilum.

Turn 1
Turn 2:

The stock YT-1300 connects with an asteroid! There's no damage but it can't fire this turn! Worse still for the Rebels, neither too can the A-Wings which are out of arc. The customised YT-1300 inflicts a hit on one of the TIEs - but the return fire from the TIE swarm is devastating, stripping all shields and inflicting damage!

Turn 2
Turn 3:

The blue A-Wing swings around the TIE swarm - only for the swarm to perform a unified K-Turn and shoot it from behind! The A-Wing is blown apart while the Rebels still struggle to get into the fight!

They came from behind!

But the custom YT-1300 inflicts a critical hit on a TIE Interceptor - it must avoid hitting other ships or asteroids otherwise it will suffer more damage!

Turn 3
Turn 4:

As the A-Wing finally gets into position to fire, a TIE pilot wilfully - for position - causes a pile-up of squad-mates by barrel rolling to block those behind it. Crucially though, the green manoeuvres clear all of their stress. The stock YT-1300 annihilates a TIE fighter...

A TIE goes down in flames!

...but the TIE Interceptor and TIE Defender respond with a deadly volley which destroys the modified YT-1300!

Turn 4
Turn 5:

The A-Wing and remaining YT-1300 reposition as the swarm swings around again for another pass! A few shields are stripped but most volleys miss intended targets as the ships pull off complicated manoeuvres.

Turn 5
Turn 6:

The damaged TIE Interceptor makes a terrible misjudgement, hitting an asteroid! It takes automatic damage because of the effects of the critical damage card...

Intercepting an Asteroid!

...and rolls for damage for hitting the asteroid! A further hit destroys it!

Wipeout for the TIE Interceptor!

The TIEs and TIE Defender strafe the stock YT-1300, stripping more shields. The Rebels are unable to land damage on the (somewhat fortunate) TIEs which evade the incoming fire!

Turn 6
Turn 7:

The A-Wing surges forward but finds itself without a target as the closest TIE bumps it. The incoming Imperial fire takes the A-Wing and YT-1300 to the brink of destruction while the Imperials continue to evade the return fire from the YT-1300...
Turn 7

Turn 8:

TIEs bank across one another and both sides exchange fire once again - perhaps because of the heavy damage the Rebels have suffered, their shots once again go amiss! The Empire's pilots are more accurate and deadly - destroying the last two Rebel ships!

Moments from destruction before the end of Turn 8
The remaining YT-1300 is destroyed in a spectacular explosion!

The first battle of the Galactic Civil War sees the Empire emerge as victors! Their Renown increases to 2, allowing them to field ships with PS2 or lower next battle. The Rebels will still only be able to pilot ships with PS1.


Ilum has fallen to the Empire! Little do the pathetic band of Rebels realise, this world will one day become the site for Starkiller Base! But that's a tale for another time (and a later war)...

The Imperial flag is now flying over Ilum on the galaxy map!

Galaxy Map: End of Episode I

This was only the first skirmish in what will be a long and punishing campaign. Watch out for Episode II coming soon!

X-Wing Miniatures Game - Galactic Civil War Campaign Rules

X-Wing Miniatures Game
(c) Fantasy Flight Games


Introduction

After falling away from Fantasy Flight Games' X-Wing Miniatures Game for a few years, myself and a group of friends are looking to play on a semi-regular basis again - but we wanted to do something that would give our battles a little more depth than the one-off battles affairs we used to play. At the same time, we didn't want to do anything that required much book-keeping or would cause us headaches if we wanted to drop in and out of play as life's pressures dictated. Thus we put together the Galactic Civil War Campaign Rules. They are written with 1st Edition in mind but there's nothing I'm aware of that would prevent these rules being used by 2nd Edition players (feedback welcomed if this is not the case). I hope you enjoy them!

The Galaxy Map

Using the board from FFG's excellent Star Wars Rebellion boardgame, this map shows all of the key systems across the galaxy - and which factions control them. When the campaign begins, the hidden Rebel base is on Mon Calamari and the Empire's Death Star at Coruscant. The number of symbols on each location dictate the size of each game of the X-Wing Miniatures game to be fought (more below). 

The Galaxy Map
(c) Fantasy Flight Games (game board for Star Wars Rebellion)


Campaign Aim

The players are aiming to either destroy the enemy base or liberate/control the majority of the galaxy's systems, whichever happens first. At the start of the campaign, one faction requires to occupy 17 of the 33 systems to ensure victory.

Campaign Turns

During a Campaign Turn, one player picks a system to attack and both players then fight a battle of the X-Wing Miniatures Game as normal. The winner not only takes control of the system, but they also increase their faction's Renown in the process. Increasing Renown unlocks new Ships and Pilots for their faction to call upon in future battles - and brings the player closer to victory as their spies search for the enemy base! More on this later...

When starting the campaign, players flip a coin. The player who wins the coin toss has control of play for Turn One. The other player has control of play in Turn Two, before the first player has control again in Turn Three, with play alternating between players each Campaign Turn. No player ever gets two turns in a row.

Turn Sequence

The Turn Sequence is as follows: 

1. Choose a system to assault
2. Pick forces
3. Play a game of the X-Wing Miniatures Game
4. End Phase

1. Choose a System to Assault

The player in control of play picks any neutral system on the board to assault. Players may not attack systems which already belong to the enemy faction - the one exception being to launch attacks on the enemy base as detailed in the Renown section. Although armies of the Empire and Rebels clash on the ground, it is in the dominance of space, that systems are won and lost. 

While a game of X-Wing may not encompass the full scale of planetary assaults or even the huge fleets of ships engaged involved, for the purposes of the campaign, it does represent a microcosm of the overall battle - in that whoever wins the scenario takes control of the system and widens their Renown!

When picking a system to attack, the number of symbols on the selected system dictates the size of the battle. If there is a clear hexagonal symbol on the system being attacked, the attacking player can decide whether this symbol counts as one symbol or none (thereby influencing the size of the battle). Once this is determined, players can pick forces.

No. of Symbols     Size of Scenario (Points)

         0-1                          100
           2                           200
           3                           300

Note: It will be easier to play larger games once your Renown has risen a little. Depending upon the size of your collection it may be tricky to play a 300 point battle with only Pilot Skill 1 ships at your disposal!

Note: if players only have sufficient forces for 100 point battles then there is nothing to stop them from playing small encounters in every scenario for the duration of the campaign. The intent though is for there to be larger games both to mix up the scale of encounters and to allow more opportunity to use huge ships in some of the battles. We feel that this gives the campaign more variation and an epic sweep - but play with what you've got!

2. Pick Forces

Players pick their forces as normal with a the following minor but significant restrictions: 

- Only pilots with a Pilot Skill equal to or below their current Renown can be selected. Both factions start the Campaign with Renown of 1, meaning that only Ships with Pilot Skill of 1 may be selected on both sides for the opening battle. Factions need to conquer/free systems to increase their Renown, thereby unlocking more Pilots and Ships as they do so.

- Unique ships/characters etc are indeed unique. Once a unique Pilot or Ship is killed/destroyed, they are gone forever - or at least for the duration of the current campaign. You therefore cannot select them for future battles. They may be one with the Force but they can't directly help fight the Galactic Civl War any longer.

3. Play a Game of X-Wing Miniatures Game

Players may play a standard battle to the death or - at both players' agreement - play scenarios (or even campaigns, there's no reason why campaigns within this campaign can't be played!) from the X-Wing Miniatures Game and supplements. 

Whichever scenario is played, run it as usual with the following additional rule: 

"Get clear Wedge, you can't do any more good back there!"
Unique pilots/ships may flee the conflict at any point during a battle by exiting any board edge. This represents the ship taking the time to make the calculations for the jump to hyperspace to escape, or to return to the safety within the range of a nearby allied convoy of Star Destroyers. This gives players a chance at least to keep their unique ships and pilots available for future encounters. Even heroes don't hang around if it means it might get them killed!

Note that while unique pilots/ships which flee survive for the purposes of the campaign, for the purposes of victory conditions in any given scenario, they count as having been destroyed (as is usual when a ship exits the board).

Once the victory conditions are reached in a game, players may wish to play on until all unique ships have vacated the battlefield or simply call it there with all remaining named ships assumed to have escaped, whichever players mutually agreed beforehand.

Base Attack: If the faction is launching an assault upon the Death Star or the hidden Rebel base, a 300 point battle will be fought (or as large as players' model collections will allow). If the attacking faction wins such a battle, they destroy the enemy base and win the campaign! If the assault was unsuccessful, the base will be relocated (see below in End Phase).

4. End Phase

There are several things to be updated in the End Phase of any given turn:

Campaign Map: mark or reflect on your Star Wars Rebellion board which faction now controls the system just contested. If one faction controls/has liberated the majority of systems or if they have destroyed their enemy's base, they have won the campaign! Expect a medal ceremony! 

If an attack on a base was unsuccessful, the base should be moved to a neutral system to be contested at a later point in time. Note that moving the base into a neutral territory does not mean the system has been taken over by that faction; rather they have been forced into a hasty retreat and are looking to lie low in their new system after coming so close to losing the entire war. They will remain there - and the system will remain neutral - until such time as the enemy faction finds them to launch another base assault. If there are no neutral systems left, place the base on any system under the faction's control. 

Campaign Roster: Note down any unique pilots/ships that were killed/destroyed. As mentioned above, these may no longer be used for the rest of the campaign. Note that the crew/upgrades on unique ships can completely change from battle to battle. This is to save on bookkeeping, to keep builds unpredictable, and to reflect that factions will want to calibrate their ships in different ways for different conflicts.

Renown: Renown is a critical aspect of campaign play. It reflects the faction's current standing in the galaxy, which pilots they can attract to their cause, and the effectiveness and extent of their spy networks who are trying to find the Death Star plans or the location of the hidden Rebel base.

As mentioned above, both players start with a Renown of 1 and can only select ships with Pilot Skill equal to or less than their current Renown. After a battle has been fought, the winning side increases their Renown by 1, while the losing side's Renown remains at its previous level. This means that to unlock all of the Pilots, players need to raise their Renown to 10, winning 9 battles in the process!

Another aspect of Renown relates to the faction's strength in spying and subterfuge as their agents seek the destruction of the other's base of operations. Once Renown reaches 10, the faction has discovered the location of the enemy base and, on their next turn, may opt to attack it. The faction will keep discovering the new location of enemy bases for every 2 Renown thereafter, namely when Renown reaches, 12, 14, 16, 18 (because base systems can be lost due to a Factional Major Victory, it is possible to have Renown of 17 but not hold 17 systems).

And that's it! Fly casual - and have fun!


Advanced Rules:

Special Recruits

Each faction assigns 5 unique pilots to flavourful systems before the campaign starts. e.g. Luke on Tatooine, Chewie on Kashyyk, Lando on Bespin, etc. These territories are considered neutral until they have been contested.

These characters cannot be taken until they are unlocked, even if they would usually be unlocked by an increase in Renown. Once they are unlocked, they become available both as pilots and as crew as desired. It goes without saying that they may not feature in a single battle as both pilot and crew - and that the usual rules for unique characters being killed apply. 

The chance to unlock iconic characters becomes available when the faction's Renown raises to 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15; once this has been achieved, the faction may - in their next turn when they control play - launch an assault on relevant system and, if they win the battle, in addition to taking control of the system as usual, may add the unique character to their campaign roster. Note that such characters may be fielded in a future squadrons for battle even if this breaks the established rule of not being able to field anything with a pilot skill higher than current Renown. If they fail to win the battle, the character is permanently locked for the remainder of the campaign as systems cannot be contested a second time.

Example: Having reached Renown of 3 in a previous turn, the Rebel player manages to win the battle for Bespin and Lando becomes available to his forces for the remainder of the campaign. The Rebel player's Renown rises to 4 but even though Lando's pilot Skill is 7, he can be fielded in any future forces from hereon in (for as long as he survives that is). Remember that Lando can be selected as either pilot or crew in a given scenario.

Note that an enemy faction may attack a system which potentially unlocks a character for their foes at any time. If they lose the battle, their opponent will gain access to that character as normal so there's no obvious reason why they'd want to do so!

Faction Major Victory

If one faction wins three successive victories in turns in which they control play or wins three consecutive victories across a mixture of turns during which they and the enemy control play, they are considered to have won a famous victory over the other faction and are rewarded with a Faction Major Victory. To clarify, a faction receives no FMV for winning 3 battles only on 3 consecutive turns where the enemy controlled play. 

In the case of the Rebels, they encourage an uprising which sees Imperials thrown out of the nominated system, to become permanently neutral (it cannot be reclaimed). For the Empire, they can destroy a Rebel-held system with the Death Star - although it is treated as being permanently neutral. In both instances, the faction who won the Major Victory declares the target system and the effects are immediate, applied without any need to play a battle of X-Wing. Scum faction would apply the same success as the Rebels would, only they'd achieve it by hiring mercenary scum to drive the Empire/Rebels out of a system. Only systems which have been contested and won by the opposition may be targeted for an FML. Base systems may not be targeted. 

Once a FMV has been applied, the faction is considered to be back at 0 wins; they must win another 3 battles as set out above to enjoy another FMV reward.

Note: FMVs alter the number of systems required to end the campaign: remember that one side only has to control/liberate the majority of systems for a win. Keep an eye on this once you start overthrowing enemies or destroying worlds! If for any reason a faction does not want to take advantage of a FMV, they are not obliged to do so. If both factions finish the campaign with an equal number of systems, both fleets amass for one final climactic battle - play one final game for as many points as you choose! Winner takes all!

Unable to apply a FML? It may be the case that, in the early stages of the campaign in particular, one faction does not control any systems other than its home base which cannot be attacked. If so, note that the FML was lost and count the faction's status as being back at 0 wins as is usual. However, should the enemy faction subsequently win a FML result, their FML result is cancelled by the one that their opponent lost. Note that to prevent one side unfairly losing out, this is cumulative.

i.e. The Rebels start the campaign with 6 consecutive victories. The Empire has no systems so - on two occasions - the Rebels forfeit their chance to liberate an Imperial system. But then the Empire strikes back, winning an incredible 9 consecutive victories! Normally they would have won 3 FMLs but these are offset by those lost by the Rebels, meaning that the first two are lost with the Empire only able to apply the last the FML result.

Other Potential Advanced Rules 

You can certainly add rules for experience and keeping track of upgrades to ships but we felt that had the potential to unbalance the game and bog us down in bookkeeping - at least this way scenarios should be easy to jump in and out of and be finely balanced; one side may have access to many more pilots but a swarm of basic fighters has as much chance as two experienced and upgraded freighters of winning a battle! 

A problem we've found in other gaming systems' campaigns is that experience bonuses / other rewards for success is that one side inevitably ends up overpowered and before long the fun falls out of the campaign as the outcome becomes inevitable. We did kick about a few ideas about awarding experience but nothing we came up with addressed this issue - but feel free to apply your own experience rules if you have them!

These rules rarely refer to the Scum faction because we wanted to play with classic Rebels v Imperials but it makes no difference to playing the campaign if Scum replaces either the Rebels or Imperials.

There's the potential for having all 3 factions fighting for dominance of the galaxy but we'll maybe have a think about that for another time... 

Coming soon... Campaign log for the Galactic Civil War!






The Random Film Review: Mandy

Mandy


Director: Panos Cosmatos
Cast: Nicholas Cage, Angela Riseborough, Linus Roache
Released: 2018

Nicholas Cage encounters cults, drugs and horror - madness ensues.

The Good:
Strong images with a trippy feel, unique type of horror
Gloriously insane
Cage does his full-on mad routine drenched in blood for a sizeable portion of the film, good if you can go along with it
The bikers reminded me of the Cenobites from Hellraiser (as a Clive Barker fan, this can never be a bad thing) 

The Bad:
I felt little connection with Nicholas Cage's character who was fairly impenetrable although enjoyed , Cage does his full-on mad routine drenched in blood for a sizeable portion of the film, bad if you can't go along with it
Story makes little sense but it feels like a demented fairy tale so it doesn't matter

And The Verdict:
Hallucinogenic, trippy, gory with interesting imagery but could have been even better with more empathetic characters - "You've got red on you" from Shaun of the Dead sums up the whole film very well!  7/10

The Random Film Review - Alien

Alien


Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt
Released: 1979

A group of space truckers find their lives are under threat after encountering a menacing alien.

The Good:
Wonderful, believable performances from an excellent ensemble cast
Production design is jaw-dropping
H.R.Geiger's alien design is exquisite
The direction is wonderful
The effects still stand up very well for a film now 40 years old

The Bad:
There is a little too much meaningless technobabble but this is the most minor gripe (like Lambert, "I like griping")

And The Verdict:
Many fellow fans prefer the sequel but this for me is the best instalment of what would become a franchise of ever-diminishing returns - a true classic of science fiction and horror, highly recommended if you haven't seen it! 9/10

Note: I watched the 2003 Director's Cut which has additional scenes yet has a slightly shorter running time. Both versions are classics but I do prefer the slightly improved pace of the Director's Cut.

The Random Film Review: Paths Of Glory

Paths Of Glory



Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Michael Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou
Released: 1957

Three soldiers are put on trial for cowardice after refusing to fight in a suicidal attack

The Good:
Kirk Douglas is on top form and you are rooting for him all the way
Immersive tracking shots through the trenches and the assault through no man's land that put you right in the action (a widely-known Kubrick trademark)
Believable characters which makes it all the harder to watch
Based on true events, it exposes the callousness of military officers in World War 1
Nice to see Joe Turkel as a young man (I only knew him from The Shining and Blade Runner)

The Bad:
None

And The Verdict:
The tone was darker and the film a harder watch than I had anticipated for a relatively old war film. Definitely a classic in the genre and stands up well despite the passage of time since its release. With it being Kubrick though, I shouldn't have been so surprised! 9/10

The Random Film Review: Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin

Director: Marc Foster
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Attwell, Bronte Carmichael 
Released: 2018

A middle-aged man is stalked by his childhood toys. Witchcraft is not involved.

The Good:
Innocent and enchanting - refreshing to see when so many "children's films" are now 12 certificates
Ewan McGregor does well in convincing the audience that the characters are real and holding the whole film together
The animated creatures were beautifully realised and I even liked Eeyore for the first time ever!
Classic, timeless quality

The Bad:
Central character story was reminiscent of Mr Banks' character arc in Mary Poppins
The characters were all a little terribly British for my personal tastes
PG certificate was baffling! It should have been a U

And The Verdict:
Enjoyable fare, good family fun. 8/10


Strontium Dog Miniatures Game - Mutant Army Generals

Mutant Army Generals Strontium Dog Mutant Generals Image (c) Warlord Games Along with the Kreelers, one of the last sets that was released f...