Star Wars and Board Games

The Star Wars brand is one of the most successful and iconic pop culture phenomena in the world. It all started shortly after the first film premiered in 1977. Star Wars offers a grand, complex universe full of adventure, intrigue, and characters. The stories are built on universal themes like the battle between good and evil, friendship, love, and betrayal, which allows the brand to appeal to a wide range of viewers. Practically everyone knows at least one character from the series. It doesn't matter if you root for the Rebels or the Empire. Today, everyone from kids to grandparents knows Luke, Leia, Han, or Darth Vader.

George Lucas and his team introduced revolutionary visual effects technology during the original trilogy, making the films technically and visually captivating. Star Wars also laid the foundation for the modern special effects industry and helped set standards that influenced countless other films. The film industry was never the same again.

Do you know the movies by heart, have a library full of books and comics, finished all the series, and don't know what's next? You can dive into video games. There are over a hundred of them. The hot new release Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available too. Or you can try one of our board games. And that's exactly what we're looking at today.

Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game

The latest addition to the family of Star Wars games is a deckbuilder designed primarily for two players, where the classic Empire and Rebels face off. You play cards on the table, attack your opponent, and buy new cards of famous characters, vehicles, and ships for your deck. It might be a bit repetitive and heavily based on luck, but the atmosphere and game mechanics work very well. The game isn't difficult, so even less experienced players will enjoy it. You can read more in our review.

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game is the first tactical-strategic miniatures game, and there are many more on the market now. In this one, you'll enjoy space battles featuring iconic ships from the Star Wars universe. Put X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and other beautiful machines on the table, seat famous characters in them, prepare ability cards, heat up the dice, and pew-pew, you're off to battle. The game itself has surprisingly accessible rules that still offer a huge number of possibilities. And there are so many ships and expansions!

The miniatures come pre-assembled and painted. Some might find that a shame, as you miss out on the fun of painting, but the ships look absolutely top-notch. Even when you're not playing, they can wait on your shelf and look great.

Star Wars Armada

Star Wars Armada is another game full of starship combat. Unlike X-Wing, which focuses on fighters and smaller ships, Armada pits the heavy hitters of the Star Wars universe against each other. Do you want to pit a Star Destroyer against a Rebel Frigate? You're in the right place! The game again offers accessible rules, detailed and painted ships, and an experience for even the most demanding strategist. Star Wars Armada has a lot to offer, but it's worth noting that it's not a cheap hobby. A truly amazing, over 60-centimeter-long Super Star Destroyer will properly clear out not just all the rebel scum, but your wallet too…

Star Wars: Legion

Let's head back from space to the surface of a planet. Star Wars: Legion again offers fast-paced, tactical miniatures combat, but it focuses on classic infantry and vehicles. Famous characters like Luke and his dad Vader also join the battle. Just like in the previous games, movement and unit abilities are determined by cards and dice rolls. And here, too, you'll find surprisingly easy and accessible rules in the box. You'll just have to paint these miniatures yourself, which the hobbyists among us might see as an advantage.

The Star Wars license is powerful. Hundreds of games have been created over its existence. Do you enjoy the mechanics of the famous Pandemic board game? Try Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Want to try something more epic, comparable in scope and length to something like Twilight Imperium? Reach for Star Wars: Rebellion. Or would you prefer a campaign-based game? Star Wars: Imperial Assault is a thrilling and fun miniatures game. With a huge number of characters, missions, and expansions, this game offers endless hours of fun and replayability. How about Star Wars Monopoly? Or do you just want to play without rules? You don't have a Star Wars Lego set at home yet?

Whether you root for the Empire or the Rebels, there will always be plenty to choose from. It doesn't look like the Star Wars brand is losing popularity. We will certainly see a new addition to the libraries of board game lovers soon.

author Karel Krajča