FFG: Fantasy Flight Games News

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Healing Runes and Serpent Demons

Preview Andira Runehand and the Medusae from Crusade of the Forgotten

The cult of the Forgotten spreads throughout Terrinoth like infection through a body, and only the efforts of a few noble heroes can stop it from growing further. In the Crusade of the Forgotten Hero and Monster Collection for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, you’ll enter this climatic story, whether you swell the ranks of the Forgotten with your monsters or battle against their incursions with your heroes.

Like other Hero and Monster Collections, Crusade of the Forgotten adds four heroes and three monster groups, all newly reimagined in the aesthetic of Descent Second Edition. Today, we’ll take a closer look at a hero and a monster group within the Crusade of the Forgotten expansion. Read below to preview the healing prowess of Andira Runehand and the beguiling power of the medusae.

Contains four heroes, four sorcerers, three medusae, and two golems

Blessed with Power

When Andira Runehand first charged headlong into the demonic horde at Silverholt, everyone believed she was a direct sign of divine intervention. Raising her hand and banner high, she scattered the Uthuk Y’llan vanguard without striking a single blow. The rune incised upon her palm was proof of her supernatural gifting, and now, her authoritative teachings fill her companions with courage as they battle the evil cult of the Forgotten.

As a Healer for your hero party, Andira has the powers to keep you and your fellow adventurers hale and healthy, while still dealing plenty of damage to any monsters that stand in her way. Andira’s hero ability reads, “Each time a hero within 3 spaces of you suffers 1 or more damage from an attack, the figure that performed the attack suffers 1 damage.” By turning damage back against the foul monsters of the overlord, you can quickly deal more damage to attacking monsters, helping to safeguard nearby heroes.

Andira’s heroic feat offers another way to heal nearby heroes and vanquish the monsters of the overlord. As an action, Andira may choose a nearby hero and attack a monster. After the attack, the chosen hero recovers twice as much damage as Andira Runehand dealt to the monster. By combining healing and attack in one action, Andira gives your hero party some powerful benefits whenever you fight against the Forgotten and their hideous monsters, such as the medusae.

Serpent Demons

In times long past, a den of medusae spun a myth that their gaze could turn a living man to stone. Many fools have entered the lairs of these conniving serpent demons, wielding ineffectual shields of glass or stumbling forward with eyes tightly closed, but the deadly hexes of the medusae are easily cast on men who refuse to watch. Now, the medusae employ their magic in the service of the Forgotten, enslaving the innocent and destroying those who oppose them.

In battle, the medusae can prove themselves effective ranged combatants, attacking the heroes from afar with ancient and evil magic. Each medusa possesses enough combat dice to strike effectively from outside the reach of the heroes. When you play the overlord, your medusae can use their ranged attacks to harry the heroes, even as your strongest monsters block their way forward.

As an added bonus, a medusa can inflict a vast variety of conditions on the helpless heroes. Any medusa can inflict the immobilized or poisoned conditions, either wearing a hero down or keeping him from moving during his turn. Master medusae can poison or immobilize heroes, but they can also use their comprehensive knowledge of spells to stun a hero, robbing the hero of an action on his next turn and giving you time to accomplish your goals as the overlord. However you weave the manifold spells of the medusae, you’re sure to impede the heroes as they attempt to undermine the spread of the Forgotten.

Join the Fight

Whether you plague the heroes from every side with the attacks of the medusae, or heal your compatriots with the power of Andira Runehand, you’ll find the heroes and monster groups you need in Crusade of the Forgotten.

Preorder the Crusade of the Forgotten Hero and Monster Collection at your local retailer today!

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Source: Healing Runes and Serpent Demons

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Download the Final Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay FAQ and Errata

The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Line Is Now Complete

In 2009, we debuted the third edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. This new edition changed the way players experience the Warhammer Fantasy setting and brought new life to the Old World.

In the years since its release, we have published a veritable library of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay products, including twenty expansions, several core products, and even a digital application. 

Today, we present the final FAQ and Errata, which are available for download on the support page. With these documents, we have fulfilled our vision for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, having delivered a complete game experience. 

Although we've reached the end of our road for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, your journey continues. With published campaigns and adventure supplements, such as The Gathering Storm and Lure of Power, along with supplementary material available to help GMs create their own stories, such as the Game Master's Toolkit, we're confident that Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay will continue to provide enjoyment for years to come. 

A Word from the Developers 

With the release of the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Third Edition core set in 2009, Fantasy Flight Games launched an exciting new adventure in the Old World, both for our players and for ourselves. We'd never worked on a project quite like it before, and most of our players had never played anything quite like it, either. The new format brought on interesting design challenges, and talking those challenges was in itself an exciting and rewarding experience.

Our adventure in the Old World has come to a close with the release of this final FAQ update. As you can see, the changes between this and the penultimate version are modest (a few new errata for Hero's Call) and we don't foresee a need to update the document any further. We won't be releasing any new products for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition.

The design team would like to thank the fans for giving us the opportunity to make this game which we love so much an important part of our lives for so long. We hope you continue to enjoy Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and look forward to hearing your stories of playing in the Old World for many years to come.

Thanks for playing and, as always, enjoy the game!

-Jay, Dan, Michael, Tim, and Chris

Thanks! 

While this foray into the Old World in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay has concluded, we are huge fans of the Warhammer Fantasy world and would not be surprised if we found ourselves someday crafting new adventures in it. 

Thank you for your support of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. Together, we have crafted countless adventures and forged new paths. We wish you many years of continued enjoyment. 

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Source: Download the Final Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay FAQ and Errata

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The Son of Skywalker

Preview a Jedi Objective Set from the Between the Shadows Expansion

“I’ll never turn to the dark side. You’ve failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.”

   –Luke Skywalker, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

In the shadows of the galaxy, many beings find a place to escape unwanted scrutiny. The Between the Shadows expansion for Star Wars™: The Card Game gives you access to the skills of those who lurk in shadow – the Jedi and the Scum and Villainy of the Star Wars universe. Whether you train in the Force with Yoda or take illicit contracts while working for Prince Xizor, you’ll quickly find that the shadows are your closest allies.

In Between the Shadows, you’ll find none other than Luke Skywalker – a Jedi and a hero of the Rebellion. When Luke fought Darth Vader in Cloud City, his training was not complete, but by the time they fought again aboard the second Death Star, Luke had gained experience as a Jedi.

In today’s preview of Between the Shadows, we’ll take a look at the newest version of Luke Skywalker and his objective set!

The Power of a Jedi

This set begins with the A Hero’s Trial (Between the Shadows, 633) objective, changing the game's normal deployment rules in a fundamental way. As an Action during the conflict phase, you may play an enhancement from your hand if you have A Hero’s Trial as one of your revealed objectives. Surprising your opponent by suddenly playing an enhancement like Shii-Cho Training (Core Set, 122) or Trust Your Feelings (Core Set, 153) can swing an engagement dramatically in your favor.

Of course, you need a unit to attach these enhancements to, and you’ll find an exceptional option in the new version of Luke Skywalker (Between the Shadows, 634). This version of Luke features the same combat icons as the Core Set version, but he has gained a Force icon and the Elite keyword, signifying his growing prowess as a Jedi. He has lost the Targeted Strike keyword, but this version of Luke offers you new ways to deal damage. Whenever you attach an enhancement to Luke, you may deal one damage to a target enemy unit, and by discarding an enhancement attached to Luke, you may remove a focus token from him! Combining Luke with the Jedi’s numerous enhancements allows you to destroy any obstacle in your way and A Hero’s Trial allows you to surprise your opponent by playing enhancements on Luke in the midst of battle.

This objective set also includes some new enhancements to power Luke Skywalker. I Am a Jedi (Between the Shadows, 637) can be attached to any Force User unit, and it provides resources equal to the number of enhancements attached to the enhanced unit. If you attach I Am a Jedi to a unit that already has a few enhancements, you can easily improve your total resources for the turn, especially if In You Must Go (Core Set, 76) reduces the cost of your first enhancement. If you use I Am a Jedi to generate three or four resources, it probably won’t completely refresh for the remainder of the game, but if you attach it to Luke, you can focus it for resources, then discard it to remove a focus token from Luke.

An enhancement naturally suited to Luke Skywalker is Luke’s Lightsaber (Between the Shadows, 636). This enhancement grants two unit damage to the attached Force User or Force Sensitive unit, but its Action ability makes it most deadly in the hands of Luke Skywalker. Luke’s Lightsaber invites you to spend a Jedi resource to attach this enhancement to Luke Skywalker from your discard pile, consistently recurring itself and giving you the means to trigger both of Luke’s abilities again and again.

If you can’t destroy all obstacles with Luke Skywalker and his enhancements, this objective set offers some additional tools. The set includes a copy of Heat of Battle (Between the Shadows, 65) and introduces the Speeder Bike (Between the Shadows, 635). The Speeder Bike features two normal tactics icons, as well as the Edge (1) ability. The caveat, however, is that you must destroy the Speeder Bike after you lose an edge battle if it was participating in the engagement. Even with this Forced Reaction, the Speeder Bike promises to be a potent threat that your opponent must find some way to deal with, leaving the way clear for Luke Skywalker to annihilate both units and objectives.

There Is Good in Him

Luke Skywalker offers the Jedi a powerful way to remove anything that might stand between the light side and victory. In Between the Shadows, you can take advantage of Luke Skywalker and the others who train in the shadows.

Pre-order Between the Shadows at your local retailer today!

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Source: The Son of Skywalker

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The Best Four Days in Gaming

Come See Us at Gen Con Indy 2014

Gen Con Indy 2014 starts tomorrow, and those of us at Fantasy Flight Games are looking forward to meeting you during the best four days in gaming!

Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, Gen Con Indy is an enormous convention devoted to hobby gaming and its fans. Fantasy Flight Games has attended this illustrious event for the past 17 years, and each experience has been uniquely exciting and accompanied by extensive preparations. We strongly believe in the Gen Con Indy motto of “the best four days in gaming,” and we continually focus every aspect of our interactions toward providing attendees the most exciting experience possible.

This year, we’re once again thrilled to contribute to Gen Con’s hundreds of board, card, miniature, and roleplaying game events, and we’re putting our best foot forward with an attractive selection of demos and product debuts at our booth in the exhibit hall.

Visit Us in the Exhibit Hall

We have one of the largest booths in the exhibit hall at Gen Con Indy, and we’ll be there all weekend long, from the first tick of the clock on Thursday morning through the end of the show on Sunday afternoon.

You can find us in the exhibit hall at booths 809, 817, 1109, and 1117. Make sure to plan your visit.

Then, you can stick around to learn more about our most popular upcoming games. We’ll be running demo tables all weekend for Star Wars™: Armada, Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, XCOM: The Board Game, and more!

Enjoy Hundreds of Thrilling Events

All weekend long, even as we’re offering you hands-on preview experiences with our upcoming games, we’ll be running hundreds of exciting events in the event hall and at our roleplaying tables in room 127.

We enjoy a commanding presence in the event hall, where we run hundreds of board game events, along with dozens of tournaments and other events. Our events traditionally sell out quickly, and this year has been no exception. Still, you can find room to participate in a range of events, running the spectrum from competitive to casual.

Our North American Championship tournaments continue to grow, and this year we’re running events for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, Android: Netrunner, Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game, Star Wars™: The Card Game, Warhammer: Diskwars, and X-Wing™. There are still a few tickets available for several of these champions, and both Android: Netrunner and X-Wing have grown so large that we’ve split the preliminary rounds into two heats. If you’re looking to join in the second heat for either of these events, you’ll want to show up as early as possible with your generic ticket.

Stay Tuned for Updates

While we’d love to see each and every one of our fans at Gen Con, we know it’s simply not possible for everyone to attend. If you can’t make your way to Indianapolis, you can still join us in spirit. Check our website each day during the show, as we’ll offer nightly recaps of the days’ events. These video highlights are designed to show you a glimpse of the action and keep you informed of the event’s announcements, releases, tournaments, and other news.

Reminisce about last year’s Gen Con (or see what you missed)

with our four-part recap videos (also available on YouTube).

For now, it’s time to hit the road for Gen Con Indy 2014. Come join us for the best four days in gaming!

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Source: The Best Four Days in Gaming

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Fresh from Outer Space

The Cosmic Dominion Expansion for Cosmic Encounter Is Now Available

Cosmic Dominion, the fan-designed expansion for Cosmic Encounter, is now available at your local retailer and in the Fantasy Flight Games online store.

Cosmic Dominion introduces thirty new alien races and accompanying flares, a reward deck for allies filled with game-changing cards, and ship markers that allow players to create their own ship variants. Designed for the fans and by the fans, along with of one of the game’s original designers, Peter Olotka, Cosmic Dominion blasts open the possibilities of Cosmic Encounter game play.

In the announcement for Cosmic Dominion, Peter Olotka and some of the expansion's fan designers – Jefferson Krogh, Bill Martinson, and Jack Reda – shared their insights into the expansion’s unique and collaborative design process. A preview of the expansion’s alien races featured these designers’ comments on their favorite fan-designed aliens and some classic aliens newly revised for Cosmic Dominion. We also announced CosmicCon: an upcoming celebration of Cosmic Encounter to be held in Roseville, MN at the Fantasy Flight Games Center on the weekend of September 19-21.

As you prepare for interplanetary adventure, take a peek at the expansion’s reward deck, special ship variants, and two of its many alien races.

Interstellar Rewards

Cosmic Dominion allows defensive allies to draw rewards from a separate rewards deck containing a variety of enticing cards. From encouraging alliances and multiplying your attack points, to transforming negotiation or allowing a safe retreat from an attack, the cards of the reward deck can wreak havoc with any encounter.

Intimidate cards can draw allies towards you or make yourself a more desirable ally. Played facedown before planning, intimidate cards serve main players as an attack card. If you are not a main player, the intimidate card signals that you would like to be an ally in that encounter. A main player allied to you can then use the intimidate card you played instead of his own encounter card. Main players cannot, however, look at their allies’ facedown intimidate cards before making a choice.

Kicker cards, introduced originally in the Cosmic Incursion expansion, multiply your attack points or the amount of compensation you receive in a negotiation. Unique Negotiate Cards have a variety of effects. If you play Faulty Translator opposite an attack card, you lose the encounter and collect compensation from an opposing ally. Played opposite another negotiate card, it forces you to reach a deal using gestures instead of words, since two aliens seldom speak the same language.

Customized Ships

Colored ship markers included in Cosmic Dominion allow players to create a single special ship in their fleet. Some ship variants are suggested in Cosmic Dominion, but the possibilities for special ships are as vast as the cosmos itself.

You could use the ship marker to create a flagship with three extra attack points in every encounter. Flagships also have a hyperspace drive action, which allows them to speed between colonies, or in and out of encounters, ignoring regular limits on ship movement. Or, you could create a salvage vessel, which allows you to retrieve a card from the discard pile using the salvage vessel’s tractor beam action whenever you like. If you win an encounter with the salvage vessel involved, you can receive two rewards or draw two tech cards, increasing your ability to win future encounters and colonize other planets.

Alien Invasion

Cosmic Dominion brings you face to face with a multitude of aliens, some mischievous, others belligerent, some chaotic, others sly, manipulative, and surprisingly powerful – like the Quartermaster. As the Quartermaster, you regularly supply the rewards to the other players. They may choose which type of reward they want – a ship back from the warp or a card from the reward deck – but the Quartermaster selects which colonies ships return to, or what card a player is dealt. Quartermasters also receive a reward for their hard work whenever their power is used.

The Yin-Yang alien race seeks to establish cosmic balance. Therefore, as the Yin-Yang you can ally with both sides in an encounter, allowing the defense to prevent a ship from  falling into the warp or enabling the offense to receive a reward. If a player does not invite you as an ally, you can give them a Yin-Yang token, causing them to lose ships if they defeat an opponent. By creating equality among the other players, the Yin-Yang can protect their own interests and safely expand the boundaries of their empire.

Conquer the Cosmos

From new alien races to the tantalizing reward deck, this fan-designed expansion fuels planet-shaking encounters and player innovations. Whether you prefer to intimidate or retreat, take on a whimsical alien personality or invent a new kind of ship, Cosmic Dominion opens up a universe of possibilities for Cosmic Encounter.

Download the rules from the Cosmic Encounter support page, make your plans for September’s CosmicCon, and pick up your copy of Cosmic Dominion from a local retailer today!

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Source: Fresh from Outer Space

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Fight for Your Home

Far Horizons Is Now Available for STAR WARS (R): Edge of the Empire (TM)

“The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly. Tell me, young Luke, what brings you out this far?”

    –Obi-Wan Kenobi

Far Horizons, the Colonist sourcebook for the Star Wars®: Edge of the Empire™ Roleplaying Game, is now available at your local retailer and online through our webstore!

Filled with new specializations, signature talents, weapons, vehicles, gear, and other equipment, Far Horizons introduces a wealth of new options designed to help you better outfit your Colonist – or any character – for life on the galaxy’s wildest, deadliest, and most exciting planets. Whether you’re looking to ply your skills in the service of a wealthy gangster or you’re looking to tame a planet full of untapped natural resources, Far Horizons provides you with the tools you’ll need to you build and play your character the way you want.

It also comes with an extensive collection of background information, adventure seeds, and other information to help Game Masters incorporate Colonists more fully into their campaigns.

Colonists in Your Campaign

Edge of the Empire campaigns are often full of smugglers, bounty hunters, hired guns, and other shady characters. Many of these outlaws are constantly running from their pasts, haunted by the decisions they’ve made and the debts they owe. They may have dabbled in crime in order to build lives for themselves free from the Empire’s oppressive influence, but their crimes have led them too far down the wrong paths. They might find themselves on the run, wanted by the Hutts. They might find themselves blackmailed by politically ambitious ISB agents. Or they might need to figure out how to deal with a Black Sun Vigo who considers them a serious threat to his business.

Still, the Star Wars galaxy is a vast and diverse place, and Edge of the Empire holds room for far more characters than outlaws and con artists. There are a wide range of characters who wish primarily to see what the galaxy has to offer. While they may also have some darker secrets in their pasts, these skilled individuals include your Explorers, Technicians, and Colonists. Events and circumstances beyond their control may lead them down many of the same paths as the game’s other characters, but their skills and interests can spur your campaign toward another whole set of adventures that focus less on blasters and stolen goods and more on tricky social situations and the difficulties and drama inherent in establishing a new life on a hostile planet.

Even as Far Horizons explores some of the different reasons your Colonists may have first become embroiled in your ongoing Star Wars adventures, it provides GMs some tools to amplify the drama and tension of their social encounters and introduces a variety of twists and revelations that may push the encounters in interesting directions. Furthermore, Far Horizons introduces a number of adventure seeds and payment charts built around the idea of contracted work. It even looks at designing entire campaigns around one or more Colonists, possibly even flipping the traditional campaign model on its head.

Centering Your Campaign Around a Homestead

You don’t have to haul illicit goods from system to system or chase bounties through the stars in order to find adventure. When you’re running from the Empire or trying to establish a home on one of the galaxy’s wildest or deadliest planets, adventures have a way of coming to you…

In a campaign centered around one or more Colonists, you may direct a colonization effort, help a struggling colony, or cast your lot in with a group of like-minded individuals looking to start new lives upon some remote, unsettled planet. In such a campaign, the majority of your adventures might all take place upon the same planet, possibly even within a limited geographical area, and the utility of your group’s starship might be significantly reduced. Accordingly, Far Horizons introduces a set of optional rules that allow players to start an Edge of the Empire campaign with a homestead (or other base of operations) instead of a starship.

Over the course of your campaign, you can grow your homestead in size and complexity. You can purchase upgrades like a mechanic’s garage, a landing bay, and advanced security systems. You might even develop your homestead until its influence rivals that of any land baron in the sector.

Of course, you are bound to encounter obstacles along the way. You may have to fend off raiders, arrange for the illicit shipments of goods to cure strange illnesses, or restore your communications arrays after natural disasters. Perhaps a rival land baron will seek to reassert his dominance. Perhaps you’ll actually establish lives that are both peaceful and prosperous – until one of your characters’ past obligations catches up to him and everything you’ve worked so hard to create is placed at risk.

If It Was Easy, Everyone Would Do It…

It’s easy to recognize the smuggler’s hardships or the danger inherent in the Hired Gun’s chosen profession; however, the Colonist’s life is just as dangerous and just as full of drama. If it weren’t, then the galaxy would be full of individuals happy to uproot their lives and transplant them on remote, hostile planets outside the Empire’s sphere of influence.

Far Horizons ensures that your Colonists – and other Edge of the Empire characters – can develop the talents and find the tools that they need in order to survive and prosper in even the most difficult of situations. Additionally, it helps Game Masters think of new ways to incorporate these characters into their campaigns, or even build entire campaigns around them. In the end, at the Edge of the Empire, a Colonist’s life is never dull.

Head to your local retailer today to pick up your copy of Far Horizons, or order it online through our webstore!

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Source: Fight for Your Home

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Live Signals

The Spaces Between Is Now Available for Android: Netrunner

“Static. Echoes. Degraded bytes… Some say there are residual imprints of old brainwaves that touched on adjacent frequencies. Ghosts, you might call them.”

    –Nasir Meidan

What lies in the spaces between the data? It’s time to find out.

The Spaces Between, the second Data Pack in the Lunar Cycle for Android: Netrunner, is now available at your local retailer and online through our webstore!

As the Lunar Cycle re-establishes the game’s cyberstruggles amid the moon’s reduced gravity, recycled air, and corporate-sponsored colonies, it simultaneously re-examines the transience of events and operations. These cards represent a variety of ephemeral processes that occur both in the meat world and the virtual one. Up until now, whenever you or your opponent played one of these cards, its effects would resolve, and it would be immediately discarded.

Things have changed.

In The Spaces Between, events and operations gain a sort of permanence. Every faction gains a new current, an event or operation that isn’t immediately resolved and trashed. Instead, each current comes with a line of text that ensures it remains in play until another current is played, or until an agenda is either stolen or scored.

Powering Down

While these currents go a long way toward illustrating the alien nature of the game’s new lunar landscape, they’re not the only cards in The Spaces Between that blur the lines between transience and permanence.

Corp players gain a number of assets and upgrades, like Sealed Vault (The Spaces Between, 29) and Will-O’-the-Wisp (The Spaces Between, 32), with which they can establish greater control over the game’s tempo.

These allow the Corp to reopen scoring windows the Runner may have thought he’d closed, and Corps can even use them to reroute a game that had moved into the “end game” stages that favor the Runner. By trashing a Runner’s rig and draining his funds, the Corp can drag a game back into the “mid game” that favors the Corp.

Meanwhile, the Runner gains limited-use programs like D4v1d (The Spaces Between, 33) and Cache (The Spaces Between, 37) that start strong but quickly fall apart.

Such disposable software may offer early, high-tempo advantages, but you’ll need to plan to accommodate their transient natures if you want to come out ahead in the game’s high-stakes cyberstruggles. While an early D4v1d may provide you a shortcut through a strong piece of ice, like Hadrian’s Wall (Core Set, 102), it collapses quickly, splintering into a degraded series of ones and zeroes that have lost their coherence.

Accordingly, D4v1d and Cache require planned replacement. You’ll want to overwrite them once they become obsolete. Or better yet, you might want to sell these relics at Aesop’s Pawnshop (Core Set, 47). There, one Runner’s junk is another Runner’s treasure, and you can get credits for even the oddest of old tech.

What Lies in the Spaces Between the Data?

The lines between transience and permanence have receded in the distance. They’re now almost impossible to make out. Gravity has thinned. You walk through corridors filled with recycled air. You jack into the net with a rig made from recycled parts. A static drones at the very bottom of your consciousness.

Is it a Ghost Runner (The Spaces Between, 40), or is it just the echoes of old brainwaves bouncing back and forth across the net?

Discover what lies in the spaces between the data. Pick up your copy of The Spaces Between at your local retailer today, or online through our webstore!

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Source: Live Signals

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Unleash the Construct

The Skarn Lieutenant Pack Is Now Available for Descent: Journeys in the Dark

Take control of Skarn, the magical guardian of a haunted mansion! The Skarn Lieutenant Pack is now available for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, both online through our webstore and at your local retailer.

Within this Lieutenant Pack, you’ll find a sculpted figure of one of the overlord’s most deadly lieutenants: Skarn, the magical construct from the Manor of Ravens expansion. Now, you can summon this lieutenant as your agent into any campaign outside of the Manor of Ravens mini-campaign, allowing you to terrorize any region of Terrinoth. In addition to the detailed plastic figure of Skarn, this Lieutenant Pack contains a ten-card Plot deck, allowing you to harness his regenerative power to destroy the heroes.

The Mansion’s Guardian

No one truly knows where Skarn originated. Perhaps he was created by the mage Ithyndrus, or perhaps the mage’s death released a power that imbued him with life. Perhaps the ravens of the manor house are somehow responsible for creating Skarn to guard their home. In any case, Skarn is far too dangerous a threat to remain alive. Left unchecked, he will continue to grow, until his size makes him a threat that all of Terrinoth could not overcome.

Even at his current size, Skarn is a fearsome foe, using his powers to regenerate and grow even in the midst of battle. Skarn’s health and defense are both formidable obstacles for a group of heroes, allowing him to keep fighting long past the point when a weaker lieutenant would fall before the heroes’ blades. His Thrash ability allows him to attack every figure adjacent to him at once, while his Energy Drain ability allows him to sap the heroes’ energy, limiting their options.

The ten-card Twisted Soul Plot deck included in the Skarn Lieutenant Pack increases Skarn’s regenerative power further, beginning with What Doesn’t Kill. By exhausting this Plot card when one of your monsters takes damage, you can heal that monster and increase its defense, giving your monster a long-lasting advantage. And once a monster has been touched by Skarn’s healing prowess, it is changed forever. Other Plot cards, such as Bitter Rage and Thick Scars, grant increased attack and health to monsters healed by What Doesn’t Kill.

Strange and Unknown

Plumb the depths of the mysteries surrounding Skarn and the haunted manor with the Skarn Lieutenant Pack! Pick up your copy of this expansion at your local retailer today.

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Source: Unleash the Construct

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Venture into the Manor

Manor of Ravens Is Now Available for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition

A raven winged silently over the two figures approaching the tumbledown mansion. Both moved cautiously, with the economy of motion shown by seasoned adventurers. At the moldering wooden doors of the mansion, the woman swung her warhammer against the doors, and they crumbled to dust at her armored feet. The secrets of the ancient manor lay before them…

Do you dare to enter the haunted mansion? Manor of Ravens is now available for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, both online through our webstore and at your local retailer!

In Manor of Ravens, you’ll join a thrilling journey into a haunted manor, played out across an entirely new mini-campaign. Two new heroes stand beside the defenders of Terrinoth, bringing the Marshal and Bounty Hunter hero classes with them. The overlord gains allies of his own, however, claiming two new monster groups, new classes of Overlord cards, and a servant: the raven flock!

The Secrets Within

In our first preview of Manor of Ravens, we took a closer look at the two new monster groups that await the overlord’s command. As the overlord, you can now call on the bandits of Terrinoth to confront the heroes. Bandits are tough fighters, who don’t hesitate to use unsavory tricks or steal the heroes’ hard-won treasures. Deathly wraiths lurk within the manor itself, eager for living souls to devour. These wraiths can easily strip the spirit from a group of heroes, even inflicting the new Doomed condition to plague a hero’s resolve.

Our second preview focused on the two new heroes that await you in this expansion: the Warrior, Alys Raine, and the Scout, Thaiden Mistpeak. These worthy heroes also exemplify the two new hero classes found in Manor of Ravens. Your Warriors may take on the mantle of a Marshal, enforcing justice across Terrinoth and punishing the wicked for their transgressions. Scouts, on the other hand, can take the Bounty Hunter class, tracking a single monster at a time. Once a Bounty Hunter begins his hunt, nothing can save that monster from meeting its fate at the hunter’s hands.

In our final preview, we turned to guest writer Justin Hoeger for an survey of the new classes of Overlord cards in Manor of Ravens. With the Enchanter class, the overlord can grant powerful, long-lasting benefits to his monster groups. These spells enhance your monsters for much longer than typical Overlord cards, granting long-term effects. The other Overlord class included in this expansion is the Unkindness class, which allows the overlord to summon the raven flock servant! Similar to a hero’s familiar, a servant moves across the battlefield separate from a monster group, attacking the heroes and hindering their efforts. To make matters worse for the heroes, the remainder of the Unkindness class is dedicated to enhancing the power of the raven flock, transforming it into a formidable servant indeed.

Face Your Fears

Whether you venture boldly forward with the heroes of Terrinoth, or prey on the weak with the overlord’s monsters, you’ll find a haunting new adventure in this expansion. Download the rules from the Descent support page, and pick up your copy of Manor of Ravens at your local retailer today!

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Source: Venture into the Manor

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The Rebellion Has Been Betrayed

Onslaught at Arda I Is Now Available for STAR WARS (R): Age of Rebellion (TM)

The sounds of alarms cut through the air. Imperial Star Destroyers loom above the horizon. TIE bombers race through the canyon, and the thunder of their bombs reverberates through the corridors of your base. Arda I is no longer safe.

The first book-length adventure for the Star Wars®: Age of Rebellion™ Roleplaying Game, Onslaught at Arda I is now available at your local retailer and online through our webstore!

Onslaught at Arda I thrusts you and your friends into a rich and action-packed series of struggles against overwhelming Imperial forces. Your situation is desperate, but if you maintain your courage, work together, and use your skills and blasters to good effect, you just might survive… and strike a massive blow against the Empire in the process.

At 96 pages, Onslaught at Arda I is full of desperate struggles, tenuous alliances, and large-scale combats against an overwhelming enemy. Moreover, as you fight your way through the adventure’s harrowing battles and delve through its intrigues, you will also encounter optional rules for mass combats and in-depth gazetteers for several new settings that may add new dimensions to your extended Age of Rebellion campaigns.

Recovering from Disaster

In Star Wars: Age of Rebellion, you become a member of the Rebel Alliance, which is vastly outnumbered and outgunned in its war with the evil Galactic Empire. When things go well, your recon missions, intel ops, and guerrilla raids go off without a hitch. When things go well, you play your part to weaken the oppressive Empire, and individuals throughout the galaxy breathe just a little more freely.

Things don’t always go well.

In Onslaught at Arda I, a traitor reveals the location of your secret Rebel base to the Imperials. You and your companions must aid the base’s evacuation, even as Imperial forces draw near and battles rage all around you. Here, staring into the jaws of defeat, your acts of heroism can still make a difference. The Mass Combat rules in Onslaught at Arda I allow your Game Master to quickly adjust the adventure’s narrative – and the results of the larger battle.

When things don’t go well, the Rebellion relies upon the courage and resourcefulness of its members. Just as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa were able to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat in the original Star Wars trilogy, you, too, will have your chances to make your mark in the Galactic Civil War. As you play your part during evacuation of Arda I and race to find and capture the traitor who exposed the base to the Imperials, Onslaught at Arda I offers you plenty of chances to rise above the moment and help reshape the Rebellion’s fate.

After all, it’s easy to play your part when things go well, but how will you fare in the face of disaster? That’s the true measure of a hero.

Heroes Wanted

The Rebel Alliance is outnumbered and outgunned, and it’s reeling from a sudden betrayal. As the Imperials close in upon one of its bases, the Rebellion needs heroes more now than ever. Will you be one of them?

Head to your local retailer today to pick up your copy of Onslaught at Arda I, or order it online through our webstore!

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Source: The Rebellion Has Been Betrayed

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Start Your Inquisition

The Dark Heresy Second Edition Core Rulebook and GM Kit Are Now Available

“All of thy abilities come through the grace of the Emperor, and you must know that their use reflects back upon Him. Do not disappoint the saviour of all humanity.”

   –Morticator Siobhan Reichmyn

Take on the mantle of an Acolyte and enter the darkness of the far future! Dark Heresy Second Edition and the Dark Heresy Second Edition Game Master’s Kit are now available, both online through our webstore and at your local retailer.

Enter the Askellon Sector



In Dark Heresy Second Edition, you and your friends play Acolytes in the service of an Inquisitor, bound to travel the galaxy and eradicate heresy wherever you find it. Countless dangers threaten the Imperium from every side, and as servants of the Inquisition, you are Mankind’s last line of defense. Failure to confront the evils that await you could mean damnation  and destruction for the entire sector.

With the tools provided in this 448-page, full-colour rulebook, you’ll travel for the first time to the Askellon sector. Here, the corrupting influence of Chaos is strongly felt, and you must battle new threats from within, without, and beyond. Whether you exterminate cults, hunt down marauding xenos, or do battle with Daemonic spawn of the Warp, you’ll find the starting point for all your adventures in the Dark Heresy Second Edition core rulebook.

Your journeys may take you to the decaying hive world of Desoleum, the cemetery shrine world of Thaur, or the lawless asteroids of Port Aquila. Your adventure may begin with the Dark Pursuits adventure, included in the core rulebook. In this adventure, you must trail smugglers moving deadly xenos artefacts in and out of Hive Desoleum. Whether you start with this adventure or invent your own investigations in another part of the Askellon sector, your guiding principle remains the same: to vanquish heresy wherever it may lurk, for the good of all Mankind.

Face Your Fears

The Dark Heresy Second Edition Game Master’s Kit forms the perfect companion to the Dark Heresy Second Edition core rulebook. This kit includes a GM screen that brings dozens of commonly used stats and rules to your fingertips. In this kit, GMs also find everything they need to create memorable Nemeses for players to battle through overarching storylines that can span entire campaigns.

The Dark Heresy Second Edition Game Master’s Kit also includes the Desolation of the Dead adventure, which invites you and your fellow Acolytes to journey deep into Desoleum’s Underhive. There, you must uncover the secret of a xenos relic found at the center of a horrific mass murder, and stop a cult from summoning a Daemon and unleashing hordes of reanimated corpses upon the hive’s inhabitants. This adventure offers another thrilling chapter to your investigations in the Askellon sector

Battle Against Heresy



The countless heresies of the 41st millennium lie before you. You and your friends are all that stands between humanity and utter destruction. Create your Acolytes and enter the grim darkness of the far future to vanquish heresy wherever it lurks.

Head to the support page for Dark Heresy Second Edition to download PC and GM sheets, as well as a Character Creation supplement. Then, pick your copies of Dark Heresy Second Edition and the Dark Heresy Second Edition Game Master’s Kit at your local retailer today!

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Source: Start Your Inquisition

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Day One

Watch a Video Recap of the First Day of Gen Con Indy 2014

Today was the fantastic first day of Gen Con Indy 2014, and as always, Fantasy Flight Games is thrilled to be in attendance. If you're here at the convention, be sure to stop by our booth and demo some of our hottest new releases.

For those of you who weren't able to make it to Gen Con Indy this year, you'll find a video recap of Day One on YouTube. You'll get a sneak peek into the demos of new games like XCOM: The Board Game, Star Wars™: Armada, Warhammer 40,000: Conquest, and much more! You'll also get an update on the tournament scene, getting a glance at today's tournaments for Android: Netrunner, Star Wars™: The Card Game, A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, and X-Wing™. 

Watch all the excitement of Gen Con Day One above!

Check back tomorrow night for our recap of Gen Con Indy 2014 Day Two, including a closer look at our newest releases and the hot news from the annual Fantasy Flight Games In-Flight Report.

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Source: Day One

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Order and Chaos

Announcing the Third Deluxe Expansion for Android: Netrunner

“The real mission? We’re going to save the human race.”

    –Jack Weyland

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Order and Chaos, the third deluxe expansion for Android: Netrunner The Card Game!

Where is humanity headed? Jack Weyland wants to take us to the stars, but what will be the human cost of his efforts? Order and Chaos pits three new subversive Anarchs against the bleeding edge ice and operations with which the Weyland Consortium intends to safeguard its most far-sighted and futuristic ambitions.

With its 165 new cards (three copies each of fifty-five individual cards), Order and Chaos amplifies the high-stakes cyberstruggles between the developers at Weyland Consortium and those destructive Anarchs who would rather see the corporation’s utopian ambitions reduced to ashes than raised to the heavens upon the backs of the downtrodden.

Accordingly, you’ll find a slate of new identities, tech, and tools for these factions that enhance their core strengths, even as they permit the exploration of new themes and decks. The Weyland Consortium gains a host of new, advanceable ice, as well as new strategies for protecting their agendas and assets while raking in bundles of quick credits. Anarchs, on the other hand, unleash a plethora of destructive new programs and resources that can tear apart anything a Corp can put together, whether they use them to further their humanitarian efforts or simply vent the pent-up rage of a disenfranchised youth.

Finally, Order and Chaos presents fans of every faction with six different neutral cards that they can use to safeguard their servers, evade tags, and advance their economies.

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

In Order and Chaos, the Weyland Consortium looks to expand its business, building upon its industry leadership in construction to piece together taller towers, stronger ice, and the foundations of a space program that aims to take humanity into the stars.

Since the game’s Core Set, the Weyland Consortium has established itself as the go-to company for fast money, massive walls, and lethal meat damage. None of that changes in Order and Chaos. In fact, the expansion gives Weyland even more cards to reinforce its competitive advantage in these key categories.

   
• Several agendas and assets further boost your credit-to-click ratios. While some of these are simply good business, others may represent more of a High-Risk Investment (Order and Chaos, 7).

   
• Meanwhile, Weyland’s engineers have cooked up six different forms of advanceable ice that can seal up servers nice and tight. Simultaneously, they have also developed other technologies, like Satellite Grid (Order and Chaos, 23), that lead to greater returns on your advanced investments.

   
• Ask a Runner what Weyland does best, and you’re likely to hear less about the Beanstalk and forward-thinking construction techniques and more about, “Scorched Earth.” Over the years, the company has taken a number of PR hits for alleged black ops, and Order and Chaos promises to fuel even more of these rumors with cards like Traffic Accident (Order and Chaos, 22). Runners have more cause than ever to think twice about running against its servers or floating tags.

Furthermore, Order and Chaos adds greater diversity to the Weyland Consortium’s holdings, as it introduces three new identity cards. Like Gagarin Deep Space (Order and Chaos, 2) each of these new identities lays a solid foundation that can support a whole new set of strategies and business tactics.

Vengeance. Subversion. Destruction.

Most Anarchs are fueled by their hatred for corporate corruption. Some may risk their own lives and livelihoods to champion the oppressed and the downtrodden. And others may simply view running as a means to lash out against a world that chafes them.

The three new Anarchs in Order and Chaos approach the game’s cyberstruggles from wildly different positions along this spectrum. Still, they all share an inner fire that eats at them, and they all excel at torching corporate servers, liberating corporate secrets, and exposing corporate lies.

In Order and Chaos, the game’s Anarchs gain new cards that allow them to amplify their assaults against Corporate servers. Whatever the Corps can build, these Anarchs can destroy. You’ll find viruses spawning in all directions, run events that allow you to destroy ice, other events that limit the Corp’s hand size, and a new AI program that’s easily among the game’s most efficient icebreakers.

Though the expansion’s destruction runs rampant, and though all its new Anarch cards may reinforce the faction’s noisy, high-risk approach to running, there is another primal concern that runs beneath all the Runners’ angst and anger. At the root of all the new programs, hardware, and techniques these Runners have developed is the fundamental belief that humans should be humanity’s most important concerns. Humans are not commodities.

Accordingly, Edward Kim (Order and Chaos, 28) and Human First (Order and Chaos, 48) arrive to combat the Corps’ use of androids and the ways that they trample vast swaths of humanity underfoot in the name of “progress.”

Develop or Destroy?

The majority of the cards in Order and Chaos may focus on the Weyland Consortium and the Anarchs, but the expansion has plenty to offer all the game’s factions. You’ll find eighteen neutral cards (three copies each of six different neutral cards), as well as a host of low-influence-cost cards that can readily help any deck renew its focus upon the economic efficiencies underlying the game’s cyberstruggles.

With all the expansion’s new cards at their disposal, will the Corps be able to build their walls faster than the Runners can tear them down? We’ll soon learn where humanity is headed next. Order and Chaos is scheduled to arrive at retailers in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Until then, visit our Order and Chaos description page for more information, and stay tuned for more previews and other Android: Netrunner news!

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Source: Order and Chaos

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Mountains of Madness

Announcing a New Expansion for Eldritch Horror

“Little by little, however, they rose grimly into the western sky; allowing us to distinguish various bare, bleak, blackish summits, and to catch the curious sense of phantasy which they inspired as seen in the reddish antarctic light against the provocative background of iridescent ice-dust clouds… I could not help feeling that they were evil things – mountains of madness whose farther slopes looked out over some accursed ultimate abyss.”

   – H.P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness

Fantasy Flight games is proud to announce Mountains of Madness, the second expansion for Eldritch Horror.

Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s novella about a Miskatonic University expedition that awoke ancient and deadly creatures, Mountains of Madness opens up to investigators the frozen expanses of Antarctica and releases horrors that have hibernated in the ice for eons. You may find in Antarctica solutions to many perplexing mysteries, but you will also encounter there profoundly disturbing sights and nightmarish new monsters. This expansion features a side board depicting locations throughout Antarctica, from the Miskatonic Outpost to the City of the Elder Things, where numerous and terrifying encounters await you. Two new Ancient Ones, including the very Elder Things that once dominated earth, threaten the end of humanity. Eight more investigators contribute their diverse skills and specialties to the struggle against the Ancient Ones. With their help you may be able to prevent the reawakened Elder Things from rising… or you may fall victim to the horror.

An Antarctic Expedition

The side board featured in Mountains of Madness allows players to follow the trail of the doomed Miskatonic University expedition. Your gateway to remotest Antarctica – and your last point of connection to the rest of the world – is the Miskatonic Outpost, where you can team up with an Antarctic guide or obtain life-saving medical supplies. You can then progress to the devastated Lake Camp where the cold preserves the grisly remains of Professor Lake and his colleagues. There, you may rescue the frightened sled dogs who survived their masters’ slaughter, or perform autopsies on the frozen bodies of the Elder Things. Beyond the immense and foreboding Snowy Mountains lay the megalithic City of the Elder Things and the mythical Plateau of Leng, where the unpredictable, transdimensional shifts of time and space may shatter your sanity.

Antarctica’s frozen climate makes it one of the most perilous regions of the world. Your Strength and Will may be tested as you are forced to dig through many feet of snow, restrain frightened dogs, or scrape ice off of your frozen airplane.  A small mistake – or even sheer bad luck – can result in a Hypothermia Condition. Yet where humans struggle to survive, other creatures dwell comfortably. Innumerable monsters are insensible to the cold, and  even animals that seem harmless may turn against you. Giant Penguins, seemingly innocent and friendly at a distance, can eagerly tear you limb from limb before you realize your danger. 

The Rise of the Elder Things

When the first Miskatonic expedition uncovered frozen life forms, as tall as humans but grey, cylindrical, and crowned with starfish-like limbs, they assumed they had found corpses. The sled dogs knew better, and tried unsuccessfully to flee before the hibernating Elder Things woke up. One of two new Ancient Ones introduced in Mountains of Madness, the shrewd and ravenous Elder Things yearn to regain control of the planet that they ruled millions of years before humans walked the earth.

To defeat the Elder Things, you must search Antarctica’s icy wastelands for clues. Carved pictures in the city’s dark ruins may inform you about these creatures’ technology, culture, and ultimate downfall. The mutilated, dismembered bodies of the Miskatonic University expedition may reveal the Elder Things’ intentions towards humankind, while their tracks through the snow contain information about their shape, movement, and speed. Yet while knowledge may decrease your instinctive terror of the Elder Things, it will not lessen their malice.

Diamonds in the Rough

The eight investigators introduced in Mountains of Madness offer you intriguing new roles to play as you combat the increasing threat. Whether they earned their chops scouring libraries or fighting crime, practicng law or smuggling liquor, every one of them is equipped to go to the ends of the earth to fight the Ancient Ones. Many have unexpectedly useful skills: you wouldn’t suspect that a professional violinist would be adept at closing Gates, or that a waitress would be an expert in arcane lore.

Ursula Downs, for example, grew up climbing trees and exploring caves before delving into history, science, and archeology. Having spent years excavating the ruins of forgotten civilizations, she has the Strength to survive difficult climates, the Lore to understand the inscriptions of the Elder Things and the Observation to interpret subtle clues in any landscape. This combination of skills makes her excellently suited for a voyage to Antarctica, a trek through the Amazonian rainforest, or a visit to the archives of Istanbul. Ursula Downs can brave any terror imaginable and strengthen any team of investigators.

The Global Threat is Growing

Mountains of Madness focuses on Antarctica but leaves no corner of the earth untouched. This expansion spreads the horrors across the world, featuring additional Encounter and Research cards for every location and Gates that allow monsters to spawn in regions not before exposed to such horrors. New Assets, Spells, and Artifacts aid investigators in their struggles against the Ancient Ones. Whether you choose to defend humanity from the Elder Things or their enemy Cthulhu, whether you focus on fighting monsters or learning spells, Mountains of Madness will enhance your experience of Eldritch Horror.

Prepare to face prodigious and unprecedented horrors! Check the minisite for more previews, and look for Mountains of Madness at your local retailer in the last quarter of 2014.

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Source: Mountains of Madness

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Imperial Assault

Announcing a Board Game of Tactical Combat and STAR WARS (TM) Adventure

Packaging pending licensor approval.

Victory! By destroying the Death Star, the Rebellion has given hope to a galaxy living in fear. The Empire races to recover from their crushing defeat and the loss of their ultimate weapon as the Rebel Alliance works to solidify their advantage. When an Imperial distress beacon begins to broadcast from an remote outpost on Yavin 4, a small team of elite Rebel operatives is dispatched. Their mission: to silence the signal at all costs…

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Imperial Assault, a Star Wars board game of cinematic adventure and tactical combat for two to five players!

Imperial Assault casts you and your friends into the climatic events following the Death Star’s destruction above Yavin 4, and offers two full game experiences within the Star Wars universe. In the campaign game, you and up to four other friends play a series of thrilling missions woven together in a narrative campaign, and in the skirmish game, you and your opponent muster your own strike teams and battle head-to-head over conflicting objectives.

Two Games in One

The first game included in Imperial Assault is the campaign game, which allows up to five players to enter the Star Wars universe through a narrative story composed of linked missions. One player commands the armed forces of the Galactic Empire, while up to four others play as heroes of the Rebellion, engaging in covert operations and missions. Both the forces of the Empire and the Rebel heroes gain new skills and items throughout the campaign, allowing characters to develop and grow as the story unfolds.

   
       
           
       
   

What Are Ally and Villain Packs?                         For more information on Ally Packs and Villain Packs, visit the Imperial Assault description page.

Imperial Assault offers a completely distinct game experience in the skirmish game. Skirmish missions allow you and a friend to compete in head-to-head, tactical combat. You’ll muster your own teams of Imperial, Rebel, and Mercenary forces, and build decks of Command cards, which you can play to gain an unexpected advantage. Each skirmish mission has its own objectives. Whether you recover lost holocrons, or battle to defeat a raiding party, you’ll find danger and tense, tactical choices in every skirmish.

As an added bonus, the Luke Skywalker Ally Pack and the Darth Vader Villain Pack are both included within the Imperial Assault Core Set. You’ll find sculpted plastic figures inside these figure packs alongside new campaign and skirmish missions that highlight Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader within Imperial Assault.

Lead Your Strike Team

Imperial Assault’s campaign game offers you and your friends a narrative campaign with over thirty possible missions. Every mission in Imperial Assault is constructed using some of over fifty double-sided interlocking map tiles, depicting a massive range of Star Wars environments, from the jungles of Yavin 4, to the dusty wastes of Tatooine, to the metallic corridors of an Imperial base.

When playing a campaign, one player commands the limitless forces of the Galactic Empire, including stormtroopers, Imperial officers, AT-ST walkers, assorted mercenaries, and iconic villains such as IG-88 and Darth Vader. The power of the entire Empire is at your fingertips as you outwit, entrap, and exterminate Rebels wherever you find them. Whether you hunt down the Rebel scum with Trandoshan mercenaries, or defend strategic strongpoints with the Royal Guard, the forces of the Empire pose a dire threat to the Rebel Alliance.

Up to four other players oppose the might of the Empire during the campaign game, each playing as an elite Rebel operative and sometimes fighting alongside well-known characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. You might take on the role of a smuggler, a Wookiee warrior, or even a Force user as you strive to defeat the Empire’s schemes. Every hero also features his own Class cards, allowing your character to learn new skills and abilities over the course of the campaign.

Campaign missions test your skills to the limit as the heroes and the Imperial player battle to dominate the mission with the figures they control. Whenever you activate a figure, you may take two actions. You can move, attack with melee or ranged attacks, open doors, investigate crates for useful items, or rest to recover strain and damage. The actions you choose and the way you execute them are crucial to the success of every mission. For more information on actions, visit the description page, and check back for future Imperial Assault previews.

When playing the Rebels, you and your fellow heroes must coordinate your actions and work as a team to defeat the superior numbers of the Imperial player, scorching the air with blaster fire as you strive to complete the mission’s objective. The heroes must move quickly, however, because the Empire’s reserves are limitless. When you play as an Imperial player, every round increases your threat dial. Threat can be spent to replenish squads and summon reinforcements, bringing you closer to crushing the Rebel strike team beneath your armed forces.

During a campaign mission, only the Imperial player has access to all of the mission’s information, meaning the heroes never know exactly what traps may await. The Droid you’re looking for may be behind a door, but you don’t know if it’s unguarded, or if you’ll see the ominous figure of Darth Vader when you open the door.

All is not lost for the brave heroes of the Rebel Alliance, however. Both the heroes and the Imperial player have a chance to prepare for surprises during the campaign by using their experience to learn new skills, and their credits to purchase new weapons and survival gear.

Choose Your Missions and Your Gear

You’ll find a host of different missions, objectives, enemies, and allies throughout the Imperial Assault campaign. As the campaign progresses, your available missions can change dramatically based on the outcomes of past missions. With the variety of side missions included in Imperial Assault, you’ll never encounter the same campaign twice. You may be captured while investigating an Imperial base, or an old friend may suddenly call in some favors. Whether your mission is stealing data from encrypted Imperial consoles, silencing an Imperial distress beacon, or helping Han Solo settle his debts, every mission puts you in the center of the action in the Star Wars universe.

An armory of items and class cards for both Imperials and Rebels adds further replayability to your games of Imperial Assault. Whether you’re playing as a smuggler, a renegade, or another hero of the Rebellion, you can continue to grow and gain skills and abilities that match your specialization. You can also earn credits over the course of the campaign to buy items ranging from blaster pistols to vibroaxes, complete with modifications such as a tactical display or a spread barrel. As the heroes gather equipment and experience, the Empire is not idle. Throughout the campaign, the Empire also has the opportunity to enhance its military might, technological superiority, and subversive tactics.

Battle Head-to-Head

In addition to a campaign of missions, you’ll be able to take on your friend in one of six two-player, head-to-head skirmish missions by mustering your own squads of Imperials, Rebels, or Mercenaries. Each of the skirmish missions included within Imperial Assault thrusts you and a friend into direct combat.

In a standard skirmish mission, you and your friend separately assemble teams of soldiers with iconic heroes and villains from the classic Star Wars films, and build decks of Command cards to give your warriors unexpected advantages in battle. Between choosing heroes, villains, and squads from three distinct factions, and building a command deck out of dozens of possible command cards, you’ll have plenty of options for customizing your strike force.

During the mission itself, you and your opponent battle over conflicting objectives. Whether you’re racing to escape with a deadly T-16 Skyhopper, or collecting contraband for the Hutts, you’ll find high stakes and tense, tactical combat in every Imperial Assault skirmish mission. You’ll be able to learn more about the skirmish game in future previews of Imperial Assault.

Father and Son

As an added bonus, the Luke Skywalker Ally Pack and the Darth Vader Villain Pack are both included in the Imperial Assault Core Set. Each pack contains a sculpted plastic figure, alongside an additional campaign side mission and two new skirmish missions using a common map. Together, these two figure packs give you a total of thirty-two campaign missions and six skirmish missions within Imperial Assault! These packs bring added life to both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, and they mark the beginning of Ally Packs and Villain Packs that will expand and support your games of Imperial Assault.

Imperial Troops Advancing

Imperial Assault offers a wealth of Star Wars action, split across two full games with dozens of missions. Will you lead your elite team of Rebel operatives to the heart of the Imperial plan in the campaign game, or will you compete with a single opponent over crucial objectives in the skirmish game? For more information on gameplay in Imperial Assault, visit the description page and look for previews in coming weeks.

Find Imperial Assault at your local retailer early in 2015! 

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Source: Imperial Assault