Skip to main content
Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion box art

Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion

Game ID: GID0301936
Game Info
Year
2014
Collection
Your Tier
Loading…
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description

Claim victory in the Galactic Civil War in Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion, a fast-paced card game for two players. In every game, you and your opponent match wits and resources over key events. If you can thwart your opponent, you claim the event, bringing you closer to victory. Whether you seek to triumph through military might, or use diplomacy to achieve your ends, the fate of the galaxy rests in your hands.

On one side of this galactic battleground are the heroes of the Rebel Alliance. Only rarely can these heroes go toe to toe with the unlimited reserves of the Imperial Navy and Army. Instead, the iconic characters of Star Wars and the unsung heroes of the Rebellion must work in secret, utilizing diplomacy, reconnaissance, and the Force to achieve their aims. Even when the Rebellion deploys its full military strength to win a battle or destroy a key Imperial emplacement, they need the groundwork put in place by Alliance Special Forces.

Opposing the heroic endeavors of the Rebel Alliance is the massive power of the Empire, led by the twisted Emperor. The dark side of the Force is strong with the Emperor and Darth Vader, and the military might of the Empire is unparalleled across the galaxy. Whether you undertake aggressive negotiations or hire bounty hunters and scum to ferret out Rebel spies, making the Empire the ultimate power in the galaxy rests in your hands.

To successfully win these struggles and reclaim the galaxy in Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion, you will need to utilize all of your resources. Every turn, you can increase your faction’s presence at the current event by drawing the top card from your deck and putting it into play. Each resource card you play give you more power and brings you closer to the objective value of the current event. As an example, the resource card shown to the right has a resource value of five, which it contributes to your total resource value while in play. Playing more resource cards may bring you closer to your target, but it also makes your efforts more obvious. If your total resource value ever passes the event’s objective value, your forces are discovered and your opponent claims the event.

Instead of playing a new resource card, you can also trigger the power of a resource card currently in play, exercising the might of the Empire or the cunning of the Rebel Alliance. To activate a resource card’s power, you must exhaust it by rotating it 90 degrees clockwise. Once a card is exhausted, you can't use its power unless it becomes ready again. In addition, an exhausted card contributes its exhausted resource value, shown in the lower left-hand corner of the card while the resource is ready.

Description

Claim victory in the Galactic Civil War in Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion, a fast-paced card game for two players. In every game, you and your opponent match wits and resources over key events. If you can thwart your opponent, you claim the event, bringing you closer to victory. Whether you seek to triumph through military might, or use diplomacy to achieve your ends, the fate of the galaxy rests in your hands.

On one side of this galactic battleground are the heroes of the Rebel Alliance. Only rarely can these heroes go toe to toe with the unlimited reserves of the Imperial Navy and Army. Instead, the iconic characters of Star Wars and the unsung heroes of the Rebellion must work in secret, utilizing diplomacy, reconnaissance, and the Force to achieve their aims. Even when the Rebellion deploys its full military strength to win a battle or destroy a key Imperial emplacement, they need the groundwork put in place by Alliance Special Forces.

Opposing the heroic endeavors of the Rebel Alliance is the massive power of the Empire, led by the twisted Emperor. The dark side of the Force is strong with the Emperor and Darth Vader, and the military might of the Empire is unparalleled across the galaxy. Whether you undertake aggressive negotiations or hire bounty hunters and scum to ferret out Rebel spies, making the Empire the ultimate power in the galaxy rests in your hands.

To successfully win these struggles and reclaim the galaxy in Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion, you will need to utilize all of your resources. Every turn, you can increase your faction’s presence at the current event by drawing the top card from your deck and putting it into play. Each resource card you play give you more power and brings you closer to the objective value of the current event. As an example, the resource card shown to the right has a resource value of five, which it contributes to your total resource value while in play. Playing more resource cards may bring you closer to your target, but it also makes your efforts more obvious. If your total resource value ever passes the event’s objective value, your forces are discovered and your opponent claims the event.

Instead of playing a new resource card, you can also trigger the power of a resource card currently in play, exercising the might of the Empire or the cunning of the Rebel Alliance. To activate a resource card’s power, you must exhaust it by rotating it 90 degrees clockwise. Once a card is exhausted, you can't use its power unless it becomes ready again. In addition, an exhausted card contributes its exhausted resource value, shown in the lower left-hand corner of the card while the resource is ready.

Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment: pos 2 · mix 0 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video zXPLv-pxY34 Watch It Played Analysis at 10:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88702 · mention_pk 234511
Watch It Played - Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion video thumbnail
Click to watch at 10:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Great little two-player game
  • Surprisingly not more well-loved
Cons
  • Thematically cheap on eBay
Thematic elements
  • Star Wars
  • locations
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — Bidding on different areas based on card play.
  • Card Play — Players play cards to different areas, trying to get close to a target number without going over.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • We're in the cozy games era of games you know so many games that are nature themed and beautiful and cozy and anthropomorphic animals trading berries and having little lanterns and being all cute
  • I feel like the cozy games era is very much been a reaction to the world in general right comfort from our hobby the a taste for dystopia has fallen by the wayside with current events right so I feel like coziness Comfort warmth something that a lot of people have been eager to get from the board game experience
  • I feel like that there is space in the world for competitive board game play itself to be televised
  • I think the general public seeing werewolf that's fantastic how many people are going to see that TV show find out is based on werewolf buy a copy a werewolf then think this is fun buy the resistance then buy this and buy that and all of a sudden they're playing yinch
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video m6EvL1aywKU Rob's Gaming Table Playthrough at 0:05 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85856 · mention_pk 220878
Rob's Gaming Table - Star Wars: Empire vs. Rebellion video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:05 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Has more strategy than expected for its complexity.
  • Fun and engaging back-and-forth play.
  • Clever mechanics and decision-making.
  • Fast-paced and quick to play.
  • Interesting interplay with strategy cards and bluffing.
  • Asymmetrical elements with character cards add replayability.
Cons
  • Can be frustrating when event card draws are unfavorable.
  • Out of print and potentially hard to find cheaply.
Thematic elements
  • Conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion
  • Star Wars universe
Comparison games
  • Cold War: CIA vs KGB
  • Star Wars Destiny
  • Star Wars Unlimited
  • Game of Thrones: The Card Game
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Asymmetrical play — Players choose unique character cards to add to their deck, providing different abilities.
  • Card Play — Players play cards from their resource decks to add to a total value for events.
  • Hand Management — Players manage their resource deck and strategy cards.
  • Push Your Luck — Players must decide whether to play more cards or risk going over the event's objective value.
  • Secret Hand — Strategy cards are chosen in secret and revealed at the end of the round.
  • Set Collection — Players collect victory points from event cards.
  • Variable player powers — Character resource cards have unique abilities that differ from standard resource cards.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I don't know what he's doing with his hair, you know? But anyways.
  • I'm going to play the Empire, the evil Empire of course, as some people call it, but it's not really evil. They're they're in the right, obviously.
  • This is a cute little card game that I bought probably for like $15 back in the day.
  • It definitely punches above its weight for sure.
  • Why am I even playing this stupid game?
  • The wrong side won.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Top
Showing 1–2 of 2
View on BoardGameGeek