Star Wars Miniatures Galaxy At War Review
Galaxy At War is the newest expansion for both The Star Wars Miniatures and Star Wars Role Playing Game by Wizards of the Coast. It was released in late October of 2009. The following review is based on the sampling from 3 booster packs from the expansion. Booster packs retail for around $15 and contain 7 painted, fully assembled figures, and their associated game stat cards.
The Galaxy At War Expansion Factions
The Galaxy At War expansion focuses on 2 main factions plus the ever-prevalent fringe faction. The Separatists are defined by battle droids and magnaguards in addition to such notable figures as General Whorm Loathsom, Captain Mar Tuuk and Wat Tambor. The Republic fills their ranks with clone troopers, commanders, commandos, and vehicle drivers. Admiral Yularen, Captain Argyus, and Nahdar Vebb are just some of the famous individuals belonging to the Republic that are featured in this set. Finally, the smattering of Fringe faction characters; a Rodian, a Weequay Pirate, an Aqualish Technician, and Utility Droids help to flesh out the set. Cad Bane and Hondo Ohkama are the two best known figures belonging to the Fringe faction.
Physical Product Review
Each unit is individually wrapped in a little heat sealed bag and all the game stat cards are sealed in their own plastic bag with a tiny spot of tape. It's notable that some of the more detailed units come with additional protective packaging. General Skywalker had a tiny clear plastic "splint" protecting his light saber and light sabering elbow (light saber elbow is a common Jedi injury), the giant LR-57 Combat Droid was wrapped in cardboard, and the battle droids were riding a little cardboard "pony" to protect their thinly detailed legs.
Paint and build quality is good to excellent, especially considering some of the fine detailing and general size of the figures. The Rhodian Trader and Treadwell Droid didn't fare so well in the packaging and were stuck in a bent over position. The figures soft rubber/plastic material means that no permanent damage was done to the two figures and with time they should end up back in their normal position. Of special note is General Skywalker's lightsaber and Commander Rex's jump jet cloud plume as both are made from a translucent material and really makes the units look sharp. Each figure stands around 1.5" tall and includes a black rubber/plastic base. Each base has the set symbol, the set number, the unit's faction name, the cost, the unit's name, a rarity symbol, and some additional lawyer speak stamped on the underside.
Galaxy At War Booster Pack Breakdown
Each pack is composed of 4 commons, 2 uncommons, and a single rare or very rare unit. Of my 3 booster packs I got 2 rares and a very rare. The rare/very rare units tend to be notable individuals from the Star Wars Universe and also from the Clone Wars animated television show. They have commander abilities which effects either nearby units or units of a specific type. Please bear in mind that this is the contents from my 3 booster packs and this particular mix of units may not be in your booster pack.
Hondo Ohnaka
Hondo Ohnaka is a very rare piece and is best described as a Fringe faction sniper pirate who has the ability to give other pirates greater shooting accuracy. His mix of abilities require careful planning to make the most of, but can be devastating if pulled off correctly.
General Skywalker
The rare General Skywalker is a Republic faction, force using (my only force user from the booster packs), lightsaberwielding, and all around badass. He wields his lightsaber in the Djem So style, which is a attack-and-be-counterattacked style and also excels at using his Jedi blade defensively. He gives units around him faster movement making his a very versatile unit to build a squad around.
Captain Rex, 501st Commander
The Republic's rare Captain Rex, 501st Commander is a jump jet wearing, double attacking, Order 66 commander who inspires others to be as mobile as he is. His figure is especially cool as he is supported not by his legs, but by a translucent plume of smoke emanating from his jet pack. Because he hits hard with his attacks, dealing 30 damage, and moves around the board quickly, he is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
LR-57 Combat Droid
The last unit I wanted to highlight (how could I not!) is the massive uncommon LR-57 Combat Droid that belongs to the Separatist faction. It towers nearly double the height of other units and takes up 4 squares on the battlefield. This character can attack 4 times per turn AND move so long as it's firing upon an unactivated unit. It's interesting that, although this unit is huge, it can ambush.
Star Wars Roleplaying Game Galaxy At War Supplemental Rule Book
One major advantage that the Star Wars Miniature game has going for it is its close association with the Star Wars roleplaying game. The miniatures and battle maps can double as set pieces for a realistic table top role playing experience. This double value helps to offset the initial investment cost in the both gaming systems. The Galaxy At War supplemental rule book contains enough new races, equipment, talents, feats, vehicles, settings, bases and battlestations to make any campaign into a full fledged galactic war.
The Star Wars franchise is a long running, and well loved piece of American pop culture. It's universe spans numerous movies, books, games, and spin-offs that sometimes fails to hit their mark. Fortunately, Wizards of the Coast, in their grand gaming tradition, was able to produce an expansion fitting of the Star Wars name.
Related posts:
[...] and pole weapons. The two human engineers didn't fare so well, like the treadwell droid in the Galaxy At War Expansion, were found sleeping on the job in a somewhat reclined position. The rubber/plastic material of the [...]