Star Wars: Rebellion
Star Wars: Rebellion Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Overview and Win Conditions
The factions have opposing goals. The Imperial player wins immediately if there are Imperial units in the Rebel base's system with no Rebel units there (the base must be revealed). The Rebel player wins immediately if the reputation marker reaches the same space as the time marker on the time track — i.e., if the Rebellion survives and builds enough reputation before time runs out. Reputation is gained mainly by fulfilling objective cards.
The Game Round
The game is played over a series of game rounds, each with three phases: Assignment Phase, Command Phase, and Refresh Phase.
Assignment Phase
Players choose which leaders to assign to which missions. To assign, place a mission card face down near your faction sheet and place one or two leaders from your leader pool on it. The Rebel player assigns all their leaders first, then the Imperial player. Leaders not assigned stay in the leader pool. Missions are not revealed yet. (An Assignment action card may be flipped instead of assigning a leader.)
Command Phase
Players take turns (Rebel first) activating a system or revealing a mission, or passing.
Activating a system (to move units and initiate combat): take a leader from your pool and place it in any system (leaders without tactic values can't activate). Move your units from adjacent systems into that system (obeying transport capacity). If Imperial ground units enter, the Rebel player must declare whether the base is there (revealing it if so). If both factions have units in the same theater, resolve combat. If an Imperial ground unit is in a system without Imperial loyalty, place a subjugation marker.
Revealing a mission: flip a face-down mission whose assigned leaders' matching skill icons (diplomacy, intel, logistics, spec ops) meet the card's requirement. Choose the target system and place the leaders there. If the card says "attempt," the opponent may send one leader to oppose; both roll dice equal to their leaders' matching skill icons (each hit/blank-success and special counts; special = 2), and the attempting player succeeds with more successes. If it says "resolve," it can't be opposed. On success, perform the mission's ability. Starting missions return to hand; others are discarded.
Moving units: each moving ship can carry ground units and TIE Fighters up to its transport capacity. Units can't move out of a system containing one of their own leaders. Immobile units (structures, Death Star Under Construction) can't move.
Refresh Phase
Cleanup for the next round, in steps: 1) Retrieve Leaders (all leaders back to pools; missions with leaders return to hand). 2) Draw Missions (each draws 2, discarding down to 10). 3) Launch Probe Droids (Imperial draws 2 probe cards, kept hidden). 4) Draw Objective (Rebel draws 1 objective). 5) Advance Time Marker one space; if the new space has a recruit icon, each player recruits a leader (draw 2 action cards, keep one leader and the card); if it has a build icon, players build one unit per resource icon in their loyal/subjugated systems, placing them on the build queue. 6) Deploy Units (slide the build queue one space; units sliding off the "1" space are deployed).
Combat
When a player moves units to a system with enemy units, combat is resolved (only if both have units in the same theater — space or ground). Steps:
- Add Leader: each player without a leader in the system may add one (current player first); then "Start of Combat" action cards.
- Draw Tactic Cards: each player draws space and ground tactic cards per their leaders' tactic values (only if both sides have units in that theater).
- Combat Round: resolve a Space Battle then a Ground Battle (if both sides have units there). To resolve an attack: roll dice matching your units' attack values (max 5 red + 5 black); perform combat actions (spend a special die result to draw a tactic card, or play tactic cards); assign damage (red hits to red-health units, black hits to black-health units, special hits to any); the opponent may block damage with tactic cards; then destroy units with damage ≥ health.
- After each combat round, if both factions still have units in the same theater, resolve another round; otherwise combat ends. Discard tactic cards and remove damage markers.
Retreating: move a leader (and their units) to an adjacent system containing your units/loyalty (not one your opponent attacked from, not a system with enemy units). The Imperial player can't retreat if a Death Star (or under construction) is in the combat. Winning a battle: your opponent has no units left in that theater.
The Rebel Base
During setup the Rebel player secretly chooses a base system (its probe card hidden under the "Location" space). The "Rebel Base" space is not a system but units can be built/deployed there and moved to/from the base's system or adjacent systems while hidden. The base is revealed if the Imperial player ever has ground units or loyalty in the base's system (flip the probe card; move all base units/leaders to that system). The Imperial player uses probe cards (drawn each Refresh Phase) to deduce the base's location. The Rebel player can establish a new base via the "Rapid Mobilization" mission.
Objectives, Reputation, and the Death Star
The Rebel player fulfills objective cards (organized in stages) to gain reputation, advancing the reputation marker toward the time marker. The Death Star cannot be damaged and follows ship rules with exceptions; the Imperial player can build a second via "Construct Death Star." The Rebel player can destroy a Death Star during a space battle by revealing the "Death Star Plans" objective (with at least one fighter present, rolling 3 dice and needing one special result).
Systems, Loyalty, and Leaders
Systems can be neutral, Rebel (Rebel loyalty marker, no subjugation), Imperial (Imperial loyalty), or subjugated (Imperial ground units in a non-Imperial system — treated as Imperial for building/deploying). Populous systems have resource icons (used to build units) and a loyalty space. Leaders are used to move units and attempt/oppose missions; each has skill icons (which missions they can attempt) and tactic values (tactic cards drawn in combat). Additional leaders are recruited during the Refresh Phase.
Team Game
With three or four players, up to two players control each team, splitting duties between an Admiral (ships/space) and a General (ground units, mission and probe/objective card hands), using the "Team Game" side of the faction sheet.