Rebels

The rebels are one of the two armies featured in the core box set. The units included in the core box are Troopers, Luke Skywalker, and the AT RT; though more are sure to be announced soon.

Luke Skywalker

Luke has movement 2, and can jump, causing him to be a manoeuvrable and versatile commander.

He comes equipped with the DL-44 Blaster Pistol, coming in at Range 1-2 and using 2 red dice with Pierce 2. In combat he is certainly still a force to be reckoned with, attacking with Anakins Lightsaber which allows him to use 6 black dice at Impact 2 and Pierce 2. He also converts attack surges into crits. Of course, movement 2 and jump will not always get you where you need to go. For these instances, Luke has his charge ability, allowing him to move twice for a total of movement 4, and attack in melee afterwards.

Luke is immune to pierce, always allowing him to use a red dice on defence, and has an interesting mechanic for defence: deflect. Luke can use a dodge token to deflect back ranged attacks. This works by converting his surges into dodges, and any dodges cause 1 wound to the firer.

Strengths:
Lukes main strengths come from his Movement and a few interesting special rules. He is highly manoeuvrable and can wipe small squads with ease. He comes in 40 points cheaper than his counterpart.
Weaknesses:

Luke is not quite as beefy as Darth Vader, having 2 less wounds; nor is he quite as punchy, his 6 black dice falling short.

Overall, Luke is a solid commander from the core box set that I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of as the game grows and expands and his command cards add a lot more unit buffing and help when he uses them.

Rebel Troopers

Rebel troopers are your rank and file choice as a Rebel army player. They clock in at 10 points a model, compared to the 11 of a Stormtrooper.

The main difference between Rebel troopers and Stormtroopers is their armoury, and their armour. Offensively, Rebels are armed with a A-200 Blaster Rifle that is range 1-3 and rolls 1 black dice. Defensively, Rebels only roll a white defensive die, as opposed to the red of the Stormtroopers. Thankfully this is made up for in two ways. Rebel Troopers are nimble, gaining a dodge token after spending one, and also have a defensive surge.

Otherwise, Rebels are mostly similar. Both have 1 wound and 1 suppression, and can take the same equipment.

In terms of options, Rebel Troopers can spend an additional 32 points to add one member to the squad with a MPL-57 Ion Trooper, replacing his blaster rifle. The MPL-57 gives your rebel trooper a range 1-3 attack which rolls 2 red dice at Impact 1, Ion 1 and Exhaustible; where you’ll have to spend a recover action to fire again once exhausted.

Rebel Troopers can also spend an additional 22 points to add one model with a Z-6 Trooper, giving a range 1-3 attack that rolls 6 white dice.

Strengths:

Rebel troopers are a versatile unit that can be kitted out to fight tougher targets or gun down hordes of infantry. Their war gear options give them flexibility, and their cheap points costs will allow you to take multiple units. They are a very defensive unit and once a unit of them if behind heavy cover with a doge token they will be hard to bring down.

Weaknesses:
Troopers only effect there shooting with a Aim token they are more defensive. The upgrades are also expensive, and only increase offensive capability.
Overall:

The bread and butter of a Rebels army list, these will be a mainstay in all flavours of lists.

AT-RT

The AT-RT Is the support option for the Rebel army, costing 55 points. Like Luke it is very manoeuvrable, with Movement 2 and the Climbing Vehicle special rule which allows the AT-RT to be treated as a trooper when vertically moving. Not only that, but the AT-RT has Expert Climber, which prevents you from having to roll defence dice or suffer wounds while clambering.

Offensively it has a base option of a A-300 Blaster Rifle giving a range 1-3 attack, rolling 2 white dice; though this can be upgraded. The AT-RT is also effective in close quarters, with 3 red attack dice and Impact 1.

Defensively, the AT-RT has 6 wounds and 4 vehicle suppression, along with its special rule of Armour. Armour cancels all hit results, meaning only crit results on an attack dice can harm the AT-RT.

The AT-RT has a few Weapon Upgrades to choose from.

The AT-RT Rotary Blaster is a fixed front weapon which gives a range 1-3 attack rolling 5 black dice, for 30 points.

The AT-RT laser Cannon is another fixed front weapon with a longer range at 2-4, attacking with 1 red and 2 black dice with Impact 3, for 35 points.

Finally, the AT-RT Flame thrower is the third fixed front weapon and gives a range 1 attack with 2 black dice. This also has the special rules Blast and Spray, and comes in at 25 points.

Remember this doesn’t replace the A-300 blaster rifle

Strengths:

Like many options in the Rebel armoury, the AT-RT is very flexible, having equipment options built for facing heavy armour as well as shooting packs of basic troops. Its strong defences and manoeuvrability allow it to be used aggressively to get up close and personal with its strong melee capabilities.

Weaknesses:

The AT-RT is expensive, coming in at 55 points plus weapon upgrades; realistically bringing it to a minimum of 80 points. For these points, you’re getting less firepower than from some other units of equal value.

Overall:

The AT-RT is a solid choice for a Rebel army, and the weapons options allow it to fulfil a variety of roles.