By: J. D. Wiker Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Average Rating: Binding: Misc. Supplies Label: Wizards of the Coast Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 96 Publication Date: November 30, 2004 Release Date: November 18, 2004
A new handbook that helps players enhance their use of Star Wars Rebel Storm Miniatures. First in a new series of products that will accompany each Star Wars miniatures expansion, the Ultimate Missions: Rebel Storm provides extended information and gameplay suggestions for anyone looking to maximize their Star Wars Miniatures experience. In addition to game-related content, this full-color product also contains a fold-out poster map and new color terrain tiles to diversify gameplay.
Great Potential, Poor Execution As other reviewers have noted, this book clearly would have benefited from better editing and play testing. Further, though a few of the missions are pretty good, most are uninteresting, uninspiring, or just don't work very well. So this book is NOT worth anywhere near the MSRP. But, if you can get a good deal on this book, it's definitely worth it. Here's why.
The best thing about this book is that it comes with two new maps:
Map 1: Mos Eisley -- A very good to great map that is legal for 100 and 150 point tournament play. Works best with shooters, but melee characters also stand a good chance on this map.
Map 2: Cloud City -- A very good to great map that is legal for 100 and 150 point tournament play. Works best with melee characters, but shooters also stand a good chance on this map.
Another great thing about this item is the special rules and random scenario generator at the end (it's very flexible, so you can use all of them, or just the parts you like). For example, you can roll a D20 to determine what type of terrain there is (snow, desert, jungle, swamp, etc.), type of mission (skirmish, ambush, rescue, escape, etc.), and more. All options in this section of the book come with their own interesting and easy to understand special rules.
Finally, I also like many of the special equipment and terrain tiles. For example, there are med packs that heal, power packs that generate a random positive effect (for example, character gains accurate shot, +10 hit points, +2 defense, +1 attack, +5 damage, etc.), and weapons lockers that add to or enhance a characters special ability (for example, character gains grenades ability, deal critical hits on a 19 or 20, deals triple damage on critical hits, etc.), just to name a few. These equipment tiles provide a few new wrinkles that will make a nice addition to virtually any skirmish.
In sum, I would not buy this book for the scenarios (which make up the first 79 pages). But, if you can get a good deal on this book, I'd say it's definitely worth it just for special rules, scenario generator, tiles, and maps (though these few good parts make up only the last 17 pages). Though the book is not great overall, these good parts are VERY good, and definitely worth having if the price is right.
Ultimate Missions: Rebel Storm (Star Wars Miniatures: Accessory) Excellent product for who they play with StarWars miniature
Ultimate Missions not so ultimate When I order the Ultimate Missions: Rebel Storm book I couldn't wait to try it out. Alot of the senarios in the book looked really neat but in practice they weren't all that great. The missions are very one sided so that the senario will play out just like it happens in the movie. Very good for realists but not very fun for playing a game. The only good thing about the book is the last chapter. It has alternate game play rules, stats for additional equipment that comes with the book, and a random senario generator. The only way I would pick this book up is if you don't pay very much for it.
Good Concept for Initial Supplement Nice Graphic Design This booklet is a good place to start before embarking on your own generated scenarios, tournaments or campaigns.
I appreciated the heads-up on the editorial and packaging shortcomings in the previous reviews. I was able to leaf through at the bookstore and picked-up a copy at amazon and don't regret it.
For my money's worth, I like the idea of mimicing basic scenarios from the films as an initial supplement to the Rebel Storm Starter set, map and rules. The basic idea of a Star Wars miniatures game played on well-designed grid map is something I would have liked the opportunity to play as a kid in the 70's. It might be a simple pleasure, but it fits the bill.
You can find corrections to errata on wizards.com forums, or google search "Star Wars Minis Clarifications" as compiled by Guy Fullerton, the Official Star Wars Minis Net Rep.
The foldout map did in fact start to rip the illustrations at stuck-together folds, as previous reviews noted. I had to CAREFULLY hold it over a boiling pot of water in order to steam the folds loose so they could be gingerly peeled apart without ripping the illustrations at the seams. This worked well and saved the rest of the map from being torn, but it shouldn't be necessary.
The scenarios make good use of this map as well as the map & tiles from the Rebel Storm Starter set. It does help to have the specific characters in your collection to achieve the full effect of the movie-based scenarios, but it can be played with any SW miniatures totalling points listed. Some Substitute characters are listed in the Setup.
The book layout is easy to follow with the Scenario Mission backgrounds, a map inset showing the starting areas and any victory goal areas where applicable on the left-hand pages, and the Character Squad Setups, Victory Conditions, Special Scenario Rules and Campaign Play notes on the right-hand pages.
The extra smaller tiles are useful (which have to be cut apart with an Xacto knife or scissors) and supplemental rules making use of an interrogation droid, power packs, medpacs, e-web blaster (similar to the Snowtrooper's giant blaster on Hoth), destroyed tiles, speeder bike, landspeeder and Han Solo frozen in carbonite (for use in a Bounty Hunter's Showdown scenario).
There's brief but effective rules for Hidden Movement, Reinforcements, Reserves, Traps, Speeder Bike Chases, Trenches, Weapons Lockers and Windows that are used in various scenarios.
Campaign Play sidebars describe an option to play 2,500 point forces from which units compete within each mission and which dwindle down by the time the final missions are played out.
Each mission includes background text to set-up the scenario. Some missions are linked to one another in a logical progression of events. Not all scenarios are combat based. Some require escaping, evading, pursuing etc. The Random Mission Types include Skirmish, Ambush, Rescue, Confrontation, Escape, Purge, Capture, Sabotage and Bunker Raids outlined by Scenario Lengths, Attacker and Defender Setups, Victory Conditions and Special Scenario Rules for each. The descriptions are brief and concise, but that's all they need to be. There's enough variety to satisfy or inspire most scenarios.
The graphic design and layout is very professional and well-organized which helps one overlook the editorial errata and difficulty unfolding a stuck-together but beautifuly illustrated map (which accounts for a 4-star review).
I recommend this and look forward to the Ultimate Missions: Clone Strike supplement.
Expands the original game. This series of thirty-three game senarios fits the conditions in the original three Star Wars movies, now called IV, V, and VI. It requires the Star Wars Miniatures Rebel Storm Starter Set and the Rebel Storm Booster Pack to play. This book is intended to extend the games by providing other situations beyond those in the original package.
Reading this as a book by itself, without knowing about the game and original rules will not make a lot of sense. To be sure the senarios are not too far ranging from the original movies, but this is a good start from which to expand.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
