Welcome to Season 7 of the Imperial Assault Continuity Project!
This season is going to be 9 months of playtesting, revisions, and organized play, as we all work together to bring about a better Imperial Assault Skirmish environment. We’re all really excited to begin this journey together!
When the IACP Steering Committee sat down to finalize what was coming in this new season, we ran into a discovery that I’m particularly proud of: Season 7 largely shifts focus from creating new figures on rebalancing existing figures (but doesn’t mean that we don’t have new and exciting deployments to share with you!). The Committee wants to make sure that we are keeping existing figures viable and fun in our evolving play environment.
With that in mind, our first preview of Season 7 are some figures that are very important that we get right. We’ve worked with them before, believing that they only required small points tweaks to bring them in line with other playable deployments. Experience has shown that these figures need a bit more of a push, so we’re going to try something different this time.
Son of Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is arguably the most recognizable Star Wars character. As the first character with two separate deployments in Imperial Assault, it is clear that his journey and growth represent something essential to what we all consider Star Wars. We’ve previously lowered deployment costs on each Luke individually, but now we’re going to try adjusting them both at the same time.
According to the prognostic equations of our Math Wizards, Luke needs a reroll. With that small change, Jedi Knight Luke brings his damage floor in line with what we expect from a 10-point Queen Piece. With this change, Jedi Luke can shed his “Luck Skywalker” moniker and deal more consistent damage to those who would threaten the peace and balance in the Galaxy.
As for Hero of the Rebellion Luke, to bring him in line with other mid-range contenders, we’re adding an additional buff to his damage on top of the reroll, a guaranteed additional green die on that Saber Strike, coupled with the reroll will have him swinging his Dad’s saber right through most things. And if he wants to lean on shooting that uncivilized blaster, he has an additional damage there as well. Together, these changes turn Hero Luke from a mediocre attacker with a good support ability to a great “glass cannon” that hits above his weight class, but can still die quickly to concentrated fire.
The Other Skywalker
Leia Organa is a character who has a very fragile body but a very exciting set of abilities. She is another deployment that we thought only needed a points reduction. But time proved that we needed to take another crack at our favorite flying space princess. It was one of the more difficult designs to nail down this season. We have a whole folder of Leia Ideas that were bandied about. But I think we’ve settled on starting with this:
First thing, we needed to get Leia out of range of being casually one shot by Queens and Hunters. Now with 10 health, only some unfortunate placement within range of a Queen piece or the most buffed-up midrange figure is going to have her falling unexpectedly early. Second, we’re bringing the Force User trait on her deployment full-time. Previously, her command card, There is Another, could get her the trait for a round, but it was a very rarely included card in Command Decks.
Now, with that change, we needed to make a change to her command card. And as anyone with twins knows, you can’t give one a toy without the other one wanting to play with it. Since Leia can cycle cards back into your Command Deck, having the opportunity to play someone else’s card after they’re gone should make your choice to shuffle back a unique card much safer. With Luke, Mara, and Leia in a list together, we’re really excited to see how many times you’ll be able to play Son of Skywalker.
And Zeb, Too!
Finally, we’re going to take a look at the new Zeb Orrelios. Unable to cut points without making extra space in Spectre Cell, we’ve got some changes that we think will make him a much more competitive figure. An extra damage or surge from Lasan Honor Guard means you have (at least) two opportunities each round to add exactly what you need to make Zeb’s strikes hit as hard as possible. His new Obstinate ability ensures both that he is not stopped on his way to kick Imperial butt, and that he is not overpowered when attacking because he cannot Focus his distracted mind or Hide his large frame.
Additionally, a change to his command card, Karabast!, helps him spread around some automatic damage to make sure that he can smash two bucketheads together. Zeb will be a toolbox for spreading damage around just where you need it, making Zeb a great choice to deal with large groups of Troopers.
We’ve got a whole week of previews coming that we’re very excited to share. Check back daily to get a sneak peek of everything releasing on April 25th for Imperial Assault Continuity Project Season 7. In the meantime, we would love for you to join us on the IACP Discord and the Zion’s Finest Slack channels!