Star Wars Customizable Card Game: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Customizable Card Game: The Empire Strikes Back Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
About The Empire Strikes Back Two-Player Game
This two-player set contains seven new cards which are not found anywhere else: one new location, two new interrupt cards and two new vehicle cards, along with Chewie and Veers — two characters which are the stars of these pre-customized decks. The entire game setting, including the location cards and 'supporting cast' for the decks, is centered around sites on the ice planet Hoth.
Playing the Simplified Two-Player Game
This two-player game set is mainly meant for beginners, although experienced players occasionally enjoy returning to a scenario where play skill is the major determining factor and deck-building skill is de-emphasized.
The cards that have been included will provide a rich, exciting game. When you are reading the rules for the first time, skip the sections that are shaded. You will only need to read these when you have mastered the basic rules, and also when you start to use cards beyond the 120 cards in the two pre-customized decks.
Card Icons in This Set
Cards from the second expansion set, The Empire Strikes Back: Hoth, are the feature of this boxed set and have the small snowy planet icon. The other expansion sets are identified by their own icons: cards from A New Hope carry a small crossed-lightsabers icon in the upper right corner, and Premiere set cards have no icon at all.
Hoth Locations and Marker Sites
The exterior Hoth locations called "marker sites" are an exception. These sites represent areas outside Echo Base and have a special sequencing feature called "marker numbers." Marker sites can be brought into play in any order but are laid out sequentially. Thus, marker numbers indicate where a site must be inserted when it is deployed.
Since this two-player set contains only Hoth locations, only that planet is immediately relevant. The booklet's general layout diagram shows four systems; the Hoth row, the only one used in this set, reads:
Hoth I I I DB 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Wampa
Cave S
Marker Sites
Key: I = Interior Site; DB = Docking Bay; 1st–6th = Marker Sites (by marker number); S = System Location.
To summarize for Hoth only:
- the exterior sites are always deployed according to their marker numbers, inserting where necessary;
- the docking bay is deployed to the left of the innermost marker site; and
- the interior 'Echo base' sites are deployed to the left of the docking bay or innermost marker, inserting in any order.
New Versions of Main Characters
Throughout the Star Wars trilogy, some of the main characters 'grow' significantly in skills and abilities. To reflect this growth, we have decided to occasionally create new versions of those characters. We will do this in a manner which avoids making previous versions obsolete or less valuable.
The new versions will tend to be specialized, having advantages and disadvantages in various situations. For example, in keeping with the progression we saw between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, Commander Luke Skywalker in the Hoth expansion set is a bit stronger than Luke Skywalker from the Premiere edition. However, Commander Luke Skywalker has a higher deploy cost, does not activate extra Force each turn and is less versatile in terms of deployment. Which version of a main character you choose to put in a particular deck is a strategic choice which depends on your objectives.
Persona Rule
Different versions of a single character are all considered to be the same 'persona.' No more than one version of the same persona may be in play at the same time.
Cards that reference 'Luke' (for example) apply to any version of the Luke persona (Luke Skywalker, Commander Luke Skywalker etc.). Similarly, references to 'Chewbacca' and 'Chewie' are considered interchangeable.
During your deploy phase, you may replace one of your characters on the table with an "older, wiser" version of the same persona from your hand (for free). The new version (1) must have power and ability at least equal to those of the replaced card and (2) must obey its own deployment restrictions (if any). For example, Luke Skywalker (power 3, ability 4) may be replaced by Commander Luke Skywalker (power 4, ability 4), but only when Luke is on Hoth (because Commander Luke Skywalker's game text says "May deploy only on Hoth").
Any weapons, devices, effects or utinni effects deployed on or targeting the character transfer to the new version of that character (if applicable). Any cards which are not applicable are placed in the Lost Pile, along with the younger version of the character. For example, if Leia was Undercover and was replaced with a new (hypothetical) version of Leia who wasn't a spy, the Undercover card would not be applicable to the new Leia and would therefore be lost.
Two-Player Deck Card Lists
There are many other Star Wars CCG products, and many other cards available to you. You are encouraged to customize the decks in this set with new cards, expanding your strategic options and enjoyment. Nevertheless, there will be times when you wish to return to the standard mix of 60 cards. The following lists will enable you to do so, as well as give a good reference.
The original booklet prints the Light Side and Dark Side lists side by side; they are set out below as two tables with the same card names and numbers.
Light Side (60 cards)
| Card | Number |
|---|---|
| Blaster | 2 |
| Chewie | 3* |
| Commander Evram Lajaie | 1 |
| Corellian | 1 |
| Echo Base Trooper | 6 |
| Echo Base Trooper Officer | 2 |
| Fall Back! | 2 |
| FX-7 (Effex-Seven) | 1 |
| Hoth Survival Gear | 2 |
| Hoth: Defensive Perimeter (3rd Marker) | 2 |
| Hoth: Echo Corridor | 1 |
| Hoth: Echo Docking Bay | 2 |
Dark Side (60 cards)
| Card | Number |
|---|---|
| AT-AT Driver | 3 |
| Blaster Rifle | 2 |
| Cold Feet | 3 |
| Counter Assault | 2 |
| FX-10 (Effex-ten) | 1 |
| He Hasn't Come Back Yet | 3 |
| Hoth: Defensive Perimeter (3rd Marker) | 1 |
| Hoth: Echo Docking Bay | 1 |
| Hoth: Ice Plains (5th Marker) | 2 |
| Hoth: Mountains (6th Marker) | 2* |
| Hoth: North Ridge (4th Marker) | 1 |
| I'd Just As Soon Kiss A Wookie |
* — Common and only in The Empire Strikes Back Two-Player Game.
Glossary: Hoth Terms
The following glossary entries are specific to the Hoth locations in this set. The general Premiere glossary is not reproduced here.
Innermost Marker — term used to indicate the lowest-numbered marker site that is currently on the table (applies only to Hoth)
Marker Site — any of the seven Hoth sites with a marker number
Outermost Marker — term used to indicate the highest-numbered marker site that is currently on the table (applies only to Hoth)