Blog posts
-
, by Eden Miller This Weekend at GG: 6/12-6/14
-
, by Eden Miller Featured Hotness: Compile
-
, by Eden Miller June L2P Fest Is This Saturday!
How to Play Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
- , by Eden Miller
- 6 min reading time
Happy Star Wars Week! To continue our Star Wars game series, today's spotlight features Star Wars: Battle of Hoth.
Have you ever wanted to recreate iconic Star Wars battles from your kitchen table? With Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, you can take the incredible fight from TV to tabletop. With 17 included scenarios, the tactical tabletop wargame immerses you in a galaxy far, far away, putting you at the helm of your own Imperial or Rebel battalion fighting for order or justice. Select your side, choose your scenario, and take to the battlefield!
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth Offers Endless Replayability
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth presents players with an easily approachable game to explore tabletop wargaming by recreating the iconic battle. The included 17 scenarios can be played in any order, but ramp from easy to difficult. So, we recommend tackling the first scenario before moving on to others. Also included is a team mode as well as a campaign mode, offering players a linear storyline to follow and advance through over time.
Players can even optionally introduce leaders to their gameplay, adding familiar characters like Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo to the battle to introduce further variability to gameplay. Star Wars: Battle of Hoth doesn't just offer the chance to recreate a familiar battle but gives players the chance to blaze their own path and write a new story for their favorite Star Wars characters on the icy battlefield of Hoth.
What Is Star Wars: Battle of Hoth?
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth renders the iconic battle into a playable tabletop wargame, where you and your opponent will wield the force of the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance in pursuit of victory points. You'll traverse the precarious planet of Hoth, taking up arms against enemy forces and battling to see who comes out on top. Across all of the available scenarios, you and your friends have plenty of opportunities to turn the tide of battle in your favor and explore new ways of playing.
The game's campaign mode offers two campaign scenarios, giving players their own campaign booklets to guide them through a linear storyline. Within the booklet, players will find instructions for which scenarios to use as well as special rules and secondary objectives to be added in gameplay. After completing a set of connected scenarios, the campaign ends with each player receiving a certain number of victories and defeats.
For those interested in a more robust experience, the epic campaign scenario involves utilizing two boxes of Battle of Hoth and combining their forces for a large-scale battle to satisfy your desire for intergalactic total war.
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth Setup Is a Breeze
Once your scenario is selected, you'll add terrain to the board. Terrain is completely included and will be added to your game board according to the layout of your chosen scenario. From there, you'll choose your faction: Galactic Empire or Rebel Alliance. Once selected, you can familiarize yourself with what each unit in your faction does.
The scenario setup will guide you through the starting positions for each unit. Units with a badge on the placement guide are known as Special Forces Units and offer additional benefits or abilities for that unit. For easy reference, summary sheets of each unit's strengths and weaknesses are included so you can review their abilities at a glance.
Command cards will also be distributed to each player according to their chosen faction, with the Galactic Empire cards allocated to the player commanding the Imperial army and the Rebel Alliance cards provided to the player commanding the Rebels. Once you've drawn the designated number of cards for your faction, you can familiarize yourself with the flavor text introducing the battle you're engaging in, as well as your win conditions, and begin play!
How to Play Star Wars: Battle of Hoth
You'll start out your turn by playing a command card. The two types of command cards (section cards and tactics cards) allow you to perform a variety of actions on the battlefield. Section cards allow you to distribute commands to a certain number of units in the section indicated by the card. Tactics provide more specific guidelines as to the actions your units will be taking, indicating how many units will be receiving orders as well as any additional instructions for those units.
The next step is to declare which of units will be receiving orders and, therefore, taking actions. Then, you'll move to step three, where you'll move any ordered units you'd like to move. Your units will move together, avoiding any other occupied spaces (even those occupied by friendly units) and utilizing any special movement abilities the unit is capable of. Running into a piece of terrain may affect your movement, so be sure to traverse the battlefield carefully! From there, you'll move on to combat.
Engage in Galactic Combat
In the fourth step, any unit that received orders may attack, if able. Attacking units select a single enemy unit within attack range and line of sight. Certain types of terrain may block line of sight, preventing you from attacking, so it's important to be aware of where you position your units in relation to the enemy units you're looking to take out.
The type of unit attacking and the distance they're attacking from will determine how many attack dice will be rolled against the enemy unit. From there, damage is resolved according to the unique sides of the game's dice. More information on resolving damage can be found in the rulebook. When your unit defeats the last member of an enemy unit, that unit is taken as a victory medal, bringing you one step closer to satisfying your win condition.
At the end of your turn, you'll discard your used command card and draw a new one.
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth Makes Wargaming Simple
With approachable gameplay and dynamic miniatures, Battle of Hoth is a beautifully realized, fast-paced wargame for seasoned wargamers and folks interested in dipping their toes into a new style of gaming alike. Combat is easily understandable and uncomplicated, with everything you need to get started included in the box. Gameplay is engaging and offers several opportunities to explore new miniatures or even customize your own experience. The added opportunity to command your favorite characters makes gameplay feel like you're truly part of your own Star Wars story.
