Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars: Outer Rim

Product Information

As I have already alluded at the beginning of this review, Outer Rim is a very good game. I’m impressed with how well it manages to marry different genres to create a cohesive, yet simple, game and capture the Star Wars feel at the same time.

Armada extends the scope of X-Wing to a larger scale, with players assuming command of an entire fleet of ships - either Rebel Alliance or Galactic Empire - in an epic starship battle. Using a manoeuvre tool, players can steer their ships through the battlefield and engage with enemy units with the hope of shooting them down. The manoeuvrability of each ship entirely depends upon its size, with larger vessels being slower and more unwieldy but ultimately chunkier.

Skilled Scoundrels

Despite it’s reasonably long play time, Outer Rim provides as much experience as it does a game. You will remember the time Boba Fett chased you to Tattoinne to claim his bounty on Chewbacca, or when you managed to evade the Hutts and make your delivery earning the required fame to secure an unlikely victory. What makes Rebellion so good is that it’s more than just a game about starship combat - although that element is certainly excellent enough. It’s also about depicting exactly what goes into fighting a war of this scale - from covert missions across the galaxy to searching for a hidden Rebel base.

In Rebellion, up to two players can assume control of the Empire’s forces as they attempt to crush the Rebel Alliance with legions of stormtroopers, Star Destroyers, TIE Fighters and even the Death Star itself. Whilst up to two other players can command the armies controlled by the Rebels, whose drastically smaller might of troopers, Corellian Corvettes and fighter squadrons are no match for the Empire’s swarm. However, the Rebels aren’t looking to battle the Empire’s forces directly - instead, the Rebellion seeks to unite the sympathetic peoples of the galaxy and recruit them to their cause. Essentially, the Empire wins if they wipe out the Rebel forces, whilst the Rebels win if they survive long enough to successfully inspire the galaxy to full revolt. Over the course of Outer Rim you will be flying from planet to planet taking on various legal and illegal jobs, trying to avoid factions you have bad standing with, meeting various characters and trying to increase your fame. Lots of exciting things happen like the moment you draw a bounty for the crew mate of another player, and start chasing them all over the universe. And just to follow up on something Josh said: It's not that I don't take your word on anything. In fact, I read your words (or listen to them) just as closely as anyone else's here. However, there are two bits of context: Of course, you can’t become a legend by idling on planets and staring at the stars. You’ll have to take your ship across the galaxy to build your fame. You’ll have to traverse dangerous hyperspace routes between the farflung planets of the Outer Rim, avoiding hostile patrols, devastating maelstroms, and deadly encounters as you build your legacy. As you can tell, the Galactic Civil War is a popular topic for Star Wars board games, possibly because many fans don’t have a huge amount of goodwill for the prequels and the latest trilogy has yet to receive its own decent dedicated board game. Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion is a card game that sees two players engage in a tense standoff as the respective Rebel and Empire forces. It might seem like a bold move to distill something as grand as the Galactic Civil War into a straightforward card game, but it actually does a surprisingly good job of recreating the feel of the original trilogy.An adventure board game for one to four players, Outer Rim takes place over a series of turns in which players select their missions, upgrade their ship and search for renown; the ultimate goal of the game is to gather enough fame to be remembered for centuries to come. Each player character has a unique personal goal they can fulfill, as well as general activities such as smuggling illegal goods and taking on jobs from warring factions that’ll increase your infamy. Every new job that players take on could mean more money and renown, but it could also mean an equal amount of danger and potential death. Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game and Star Wars: Armada A tactical recreation of Star Wars' epic space battles. Both these miniatures games do a fine job of allowing players to re-enact classic Star Wars space battles, whether you’re looking for something faster-paced like X-Wing or slow-burning like Armada.

In Outer Rim players take on the roles of iconic Star Wars outlaws such ad Boba Fett and Han Solo, setting out to make their mark on the galaxy. Each character has a unique set of traits, skills and a personal goal that may guide you in a different direction to your competitors. Whenever players are sharing a location—and this happens a lot if there’s four of you and only eleven systems—a number of possibilities open up. You’re able to trade anything, with no restrictions, so you can swap cargo for a bounty, upgraded weapons for a crew member, whatever. There are also instances where players can directly fight against each other.Despite the inordinate amount of trash that populates the Star Wars board game galaxy like a drifting asteroid field, there are actually quite a few decent - nay! - even excellent examples of tabletop experiences set in the classic sci-fi universe. Whether you’re looking for a co-op board game filling in the gaps between Episode IV and V or a storytelling RPG where players can become powerful Jedi, here are the ten best Star Wars board games to play this Star Wars Day. Best Star Wars board games