Five Star Wars Board Games to Take You Back to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Star Wars: Imperial Assault is part RPG, part shooter, and part strategy game. In Imperial Assault, players battle their way through a campaign of individual missions, each of which uses a different configuration of map tiles and has a different end goal.

One player acts as an "overlord" controlling Imperial forces, while the other players control a team of up to four Rebel Alliance characters. The main Rebel characters are newly created for the game, but players can buy Hero Packs that open up side missions to unlock characters like Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia that players can then bring in as allies into the missions.

As the campaign progresses, both the Rebels and the Empire grow in experience in power. The Rebels can buy more powerful weapons and unlock new attacks, while the Empire can spend "Influence" to recruit extra troopers and bounty hunters to their cause. Players can also buy addition expansions that add more characters, storylines and side missions that present new types of challenges to the game.

One of the things I love about Imperial Assault is how much variety there is in the game. While my team played through the first campaign as a team of tanks that blasted their way through each mission, we've used characters that rely on stealth and speed in later campaigns. We even purchased an R5 unit to accompany us through one campaign, which gave us access to valuable tools and a bit of extra cash!

Imperial Assault also comes with a competitive "Skirmish" mode that lets players build teams of characters to battle each other and a special companion app that take over the Imperial side so that the all the human players can play on the same team. Star Wars: Imperial Assault is available to order here.

X-Wing Miniature Game

We haven't had a great X-Wing flight simulator in a while, but there is a game that does a great job of replicating the thrill and danger of a dogfight.

The Star Wars X-Wing Miniature Game gives players control of a squadron of either Imperial or Rebel ships, each of which can be outfitted with different weapons or pilots with special abilities. Each model ship has its own speed, maneuverability, and range, which determine how quickly players can lock onto their opponents.

There's two different mechanics that separates X-Wing from other tabletop games out there. For one thing, there's no board! Players can set different obstacles up to form a playing field, but all you need to play is a flat surface and the miniatures and accessories themselves. Instead of moving their pieces by spaces on a board, players use special cardboard rulers to help them move across the table (and also determine the power/range of their attacks.

Players also pre-select their ships' moves all at once, which requires a bit of forethought and strategy. You'll need to predict your opponent's moves and time your own strikes in order to get the most out of each round.

X-Wing even comes with miniatures pulled straight out of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, so players can use Poe, Finn, or Kylo in their squadron. The one downside is that each miniature is a separate purchase, and you'll quickly get addicted in building a fleet once you get started. Star Wars X-Wing core sets and expansion packs are available here.

Star Wars: Destiny

Star Wars: Destiny is a new tabletop game that came out this year, and represents a new variation on the collectible card game genre. Players build a small deck of cards that combines heroes and items, but uses dice rolls in order to unlock their abilities.

The dice turns Star Wars: Destiny into a mix of DiceMasters and Magic: The Gathering, and adds a bit of unpredictability into each game. While you can stick to more "reliable" dice that always churns out the same attacks, you can't unlock a deck's full potential without gambling on riskier dice.

Players build up their Destiny collection using blind booster packs, which might put off some players, but the cards and dice themselves pull from every part of the Star Wars mythos. You can bring Darth Dooku and Kylo Ren together to unleash their red lightsabers on opponents, or you can see if Rey can learn a bit more from Obi-Wan Kenobi than she did from Han Solo. Star Wars: Destiny is available to order here.

Star Wars: Rebellion

If Star Wars: Imperial Assault and X-Wing showcase individual battles between the Rebellion and the Empire, Star Wars: Rebellion depicts the struggle between these two sides on a galactic level.

Rebellion is a two player game in which one side controls the Empire and the other controls the Rebel Alliance. The Empire's end goal is to wipe out the Rebel Alliance entirely, while the Rebels try to sway systems to their side and incite an all out insurrection by gaining the loyalty of different planets.

Since the Empire is....well, it's the Empire, it starts off with significantly more resources and a bigger fleet and army. The Rebels are the plucky underdogs and have to pick their strategies more carefully if they want a chance to survive. However, the Rebellion doesn't necessarily have to win battles with the Empire to advance their cause - they simply need to inspire loyalty in the residents of different planets.

Rebellion isn't a quick game to play, but it's definitely a fun one. Part Risk and part chess, Rebellion will push you to think about the bigger picture as you attempt to leave your mark on the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars: Rebellion is available to order here.

Star Wars: Legion

If you're looking to get on the ground floor of a new Star Wars tabletop game, you might want to pre-order Star Wars: Legion. Legion is a new game coming out in 2018 that uses miniatures to re-enact the massive ground battles of the Star Wars movies.

Legion looks to be a "ground" version of X-Wing. Instead of a board, players use a tabletop with obstacles as a playing field, and they determine where a piece moves using pre-made rulers. The miniatures themselves are unpainted and need to be assembled, which allows for plenty of customization options.

While a lot of miniature games are intimidating, Legion tries to simplify thing through the use of command cards and a system that relies on unit leaders to keep the game moving. Instead of requiring each unit to move separately, a player just needs to move a unit leader precisely and then pile in his subordinates within a certain range of their leader.

Legion will be coming out next year and will probably appeal to the Warhammer 40K fans and others looking to dip their toe in the world of miniature games. Star Wars: Legion is avaialable to pre-order here.

Note: If you purchase one of the awesome products featured above, we may earn a small commission from the retailer. Thank you for your support.