Star Warsis one of the most popular media franchises ever. It all started on the big screen almost 50 years ago and today you may watch, read, play, and listen to a smorgasbord ofStar Warsmedia.
One of the avenues the franchise has explored is tabletop games. The world ofStar Warstabletop games includes everything from unpretentious deckbuilders to intricate miniatures games that boast legions of faithful fans.
1Star Wars Destiny
Let me start with something quick, simple, andmade for two players:Star Wars Destiny. This game combines dice and cards to create the equivalent of a tasty snack you can finish in a minute.
The game revolves around the light and dark sides of the Force battling it out. The starter set features Rey and Kylo Ren from the sequel trilogy as the main heroes, accompanied by a cast of supporting characters, each represented by their own unique cards.
The rounds are brief, each consisting of playing cards from your hand, activating unique abilities with dice, and battling it out against your enemies.
IfStar Wars Destinyclicks with you, there’sa massive booster packfor the base game that adds 160 new cards and a bunch of classic heroes such as Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, and many more.
2Star Wars: The DeckBuilding Game
Star Wars: The DeckBuilding Gameis a tier aboveStar Wars Destinyregarding complexity, presenting a great pastime for fans who’d like a more substantialStar Warsexperience with ahigh level of replayability.
This is a one-on-one duel between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Choose your side, and try developing your starter deck into a force powerful enough to defeat your opponent’s bases before they develop their own strongholds and do the same to you.
While both the Empire and the Rebellion players always start with the same two bases, the magic ofStar Wars The DeckBuilding Gameis in choosing the right replacements after your initial base gets turned to ashes.
No two games are the same, since you always need to adjust to your opponent’s moves. Each game follows its own emergent storyline that can branch into multiple paths, the only constant being the victory conditions.
If you want to shake things up, check outThe Clone Wars Editionof the game, which keeps the same core but includes new characters and a slew of new bases and cards.
3Star Wars: The Clone Wars Board Game
Have you ever wanted to playPandemicbut inStar Warsstyle?Star Wars The Clone Wars Board Gamelets you do just that. It takes the familiarPandemicformula, adorns it withStar Warscolors and themes, and then tweaks the classicPandemicrules to create a unique experience that feels fresh yet subtly familiar.
The game revolvers around the players cooperating as famous Jedi masters of theClone Warsera, such as Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Mace Windu, in stopping the Separatist threat in four different scenarios.
Prevent droid hordes led by famous villains, including Count Dooku and General Grievous, from putting planets under blockades, accomplish missions that gradually turn the tide of war, and steadily liberate systems until the galaxy is free from the Separatists.
Each scenario features one baddie accompanied by a unique deck. You start each turn by taking four actions from a wider pool of options, with each player moving their character from planet to planet, attacking the Separatist forces, and embarking on missions.
Once the turn ends, it’s the Separatists' time to gum up the works, with players drawing a card from the villains' deck. Rinse and repeat until you’re victorious or until the galaxy is overwhelmed by Separatists. The average session lasts about an hour, and the game has enough replayability to entertain you for months.
4Star Wars: Outer Rim+Unfinished BusinessExpansion
Star Wars: Outer Rimis one of the most popularStar Warsboard games, thanks to its relatively simple yet entertaining design. It’s perfect for people who’d like to dive into the world ofStar Warsbut don’t want to spend hours learning the ropes.
The game works great with two players, but it’s at its best when you manage to gather a party of four. As its name hints,Outer Rimsees you play as shady characters from the most dangerous neck of theStar Warsgalaxy. Traverse theOuter Rim, complete illicit jobs, upgrade your ship, and try building your legacy.
TheUnfinished Businessexpansion for the base game opens it up by introducing a fair number of new ships, gear, bounties, and other missions to complete. It also adds Hyperlanes to the Core Worlds, which offer better rewards if you’re willing to take higher risks.
The best way to playStar Wars: Outer Rimis bundled with the expansion because it gives you a higher number of avenues to explore from the get-go and a wider assortment of missions, ships, characters, and upgrades, thus allowing you to be more creative on your path to infamy.
5Star Wars: Rebellion
IfStar Wars: Outer Rimmakes you yearn for moreStar Warsboard game adventures, and you’re ready to be thrown into the deep end,Star Wars: Rebellionis the best fix.
This is probably the most popularStar Warsboard game ever, in which you can lead the entire Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire and either reenact the original trilogy or take the left-hand path and crush the rebel scum as the Empire.
Each of the two game boards is massive and includes a ton of different planets from the original trilogy. You command regular troops, both ground and space forces, but also massive ships, including Corellian Corvettes, Star Destroyers, and even the Death Star.
The players also control famous characters from the movies who play key roles in taking over or taking back the galaxy. The two sides feature completely different play styles. While the Empire has access to numerous engines of war, the Rebels have to play it smart by launching small-scale missions and trying to persuade the galactic society to support their cause.
Star Wars: Rebellionis a complex game of epic proportions that requires some learning to master its many rules. But once you’re in the know, you’re going to have a blast!
TheRise of the Empireexpansion brings a fair amount of new content based on the epicRogue Onemovie, making battling it out for the fate of the galaxy even more exhilarating. The expansion also improves the combat, the weakest point of the baseStar Wars: Rebellionexperience.
6Star Wars: Legion
Fans of miniatures games should tryStar Wars: Legion. This two-player clash focuses on ground combat, with the core set including a solid assortment of the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance troops alongside hero units from the original trilogy.
The game’s a bit complex to get into but very rewarding once you get knee-deep in its intricate collection of rules. If you end up getting drawn into its strategic gameplay, you can expand your army, or create a new one, thanks toa ton of expansion packsfeaturing units and heroes from both the original and prequel trilogies.
You also have access to a bunch of 3D print-ready STL files onThingverse(free) andImperialTerrain(free and paid). If you’d rather purchase finished and painted terrain, visitLegionTerrain.
If epic space battles tickle your fancy more, you cannot go wrong with the legendaryStar Wars X-Wing 2nd Edition.
7Bonus:Risk: Star Wars Edition
Now, you might think that theStar Warsedition of one of the most popular board games ever would simply include aStar Wars-themed board with a galaxy map made of planets replacing the world map made of continents and countries.Risk: Star Wars Edition, however, has its own identity.
Instead of simply tasking you to conquer the galaxy,Risk: Star Wars Editiondrops you in the final moments ofEpisode VI: Return of the Jedi. The second Death Star is nearly operational, and your job is to destroy it as the Rebel Alliance or defend it until it’s ready to fire as the Galactic Empire.
You can play the game as two teams of two players, or in two-player mode. The board is made of three theaters of combat, including the space around Death Star and the surface of Endor. The winner gets to destroy the Death Star or use it to crush the Rebellion.
While you can pick between a fair share ofStar Warsboard games, their numbers pale compared to the abundant collection ofStar Warsvideo games. There’s a number ofclassicStar Warsgames you must check outif you’re a fan, many of whichdeserve a sequel or at least a remaster. A good number ofStar Warsgames even allow youto play as Darth Vader.
