Star Wars: Imperial Assault – Return to Hoth — How to Play

Game Objective

The objective of the game is to accumulate victory points (VPs) to surpass opponents. The Imperial player wins by reaching 40 VPs or eliminating three players. Rebel players can also win if they eliminate all Imperial players. Each mission and action contributes to the score, with specific rewards mentioned in the manual.

Setup

To set up the game, follow these steps:

• Punch out the tokens and card maps to separate the pieces.
• Add the Agenda, Command, Side Mission, and Skirmish Mission cards to their respective decks.
• Include the Condition, Class, Deployment, Item, Reward, and Supply cards in their decks.
• Add the hero sheets, plastic figures, tokens, and maps from the expansion to the game.
• Separate the new story and threat missions for the "Return to Hoth" campaign.
• Note: In campaigns, the Imperial player is limited to three regular Snowtroopers and three elite ones.

Game Flow

The game progresses in turns, with specific phases:

1. Activation Phase: Players activate groups in clockwise order. In four-player skirmishes, the order is determined by the initiative token.
2. Status Phase: All players prepare their Deployment cards. The player with the initiative token passes it to the left.
3. Resolution Phase: Actions and effects are resolved according to the mission or skirmish rules.

In four-player skirmishes, special rules apply, such as resolving conflicts in mission order, effects of the player with initiative, and interactions between teams in collective battles.

Actions and How to Play

Players can perform actions such as:

• Attack: Use weapons or abilities to attack hostile figures. Some actions, like "Close Quarters," allow using the attack type of a defeated enemy figure.
• Use Cards: Deployment, Agenda, and Reward cards have specific effects. For example, "Exposed to the Elements" forces attribute tests in hostile environments.
• Manage Conditions: Conditions like "Weakened" or "Harmful" affect actions. Some cards allow discarding or resetting conditions.
• Activate Abilities: Heroes and figures with specific abilities (like "Duck and Weave") gain bonuses during defense.

Note: In four-player skirmishes, effects that claim the initiative token have specific rules to avoid conflicts.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when:

• An Imperial player reaches 40 VPs.
• Three players are eliminated (when there are no more active figures).

Scoring is calculated as follows:

• 5 VPs for each controlled terminal in an enemy deployment zone.
• Specific rewards, such as "Invigorated by Success" or "Battle Vision," grant additional VPs.
• In four-player skirmishes, VPs are awarded for defeated groups, with bonuses for "Attachment" cards.

Tips for Winning

1. Use "Close Quarters" strategically: Interrupt enemy attacks to gain accuracy and damage bonuses.
2. Generate VPs with terminals: Control terminals in enemy zones to accumulate points quickly.
3. Manage conditions: Cards like "Exposed to the Elements" can force enemies to fail tests, creating opportunities.

Consult the manual for details on this section.