Scene to Stats: Rebel Commandos

“Then we’ll do it real quiet like.” – Han Solo, to Leia Organa; Star Wars^TM: Return of the Jedi

The foundation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic is its volunteers, consisting of some of the most impassioned men and women the galaxy has to offer. While they have no shortage of heroes, few of the Rebel Alliance’s numbers rise to the level of training and grit of the Rebel Commandos. Experts in infiltration and sabotage, the Rebel Commandos take on the most dangerous operations the Rebel Alliance can devise, deep behind enemy lines, striking where the Galactic Empire least expects. Join us for today’s Scene to Stats, where we review the gameplay strategies players may employ when deploying the new Rebel Commandos Unit Expansion in their games of Star Wars: Legion! The Rebel Commandos are a Special Forces unit for the Rebel Alliance Faction. Special Forces units are by their nature rare; players may include up to only 3 such units in a typical army, far fewer than what may be as many as 6 Corps units! The Rebel Commandos also feature in the Bright Tree Village Battle Force; up to 2 may be included in such an army, providing vital ranged firepower to the stalwart Ewok defenders. While they may be few in number, such units typically carry powerful unit keywords and armaments to make up for it, and the Rebel Commandos are no exception. Their unit keywords bring an impressive mix of offense, defense, and mobility to the table.

The Scout 2 unit keyword allows Rebel Commandos to make a free Speed-2 Move action to deploy when they activate, effectively granting them a third action on their first Turn. This allows the Rebel Commandos to briskly move into position with two or even three Moves during the first Round. If the enemy presents an early target, Rebel Commandos can use the Scout 2 keyword to move into position for a Ranged attack, take the shot, and then duck behind cover or out of line of sight to prevent return fire. Of particular note, units with Scout X may be best served by deploying from the extreme edges of the battlefield (often the short edges!) to eke out a little more distance moved toward enemy territory, both to find an early attack as well as to control a flank of the battlefield with less resistance.

When making such long-range, early engagements, their Sharpshooter 2 unit keyword will reduce the effectiveness of Heavy Cover for enemy units, and eliminate Light Cover entirely, a powerful combination with their range 3 Attack Pool. Inversely, the Low Profile keyword enables the Rebel Commandos to automatically cancel one hit when applying cover themselves, leaving as little to fate as possible when the foe does draw range on them!

To supplement their numbers and improve their flexibility in your army, the Rebel Commandos, Strike Team unit presents some unique considerations of its own. This Unit Card carries the rare Heavy Weapon Team keyword, which ensures this unit will always be a duo of miniatures, and the requisite Heavy Weapon Upgrade Card will become the unit leader. This allows the unit leader unparalleled flexibility to find an attack angle while using their partner to maximize cover. The Detachment: Rebel Commandos keyword requires that each Strike Team have a matching Rebel Commandos unit, and the miniatures included in the Unit Expansion enable players to run one of each!

The Rebel Commandos come with a suite of Upgrade Cards to further specialize their role on your battlefield, including two distinct Heavy Weapon Upgrade Cards: the DH-447 Sniper and the Proton Charge Saboteur. The DH-447 Sniper carries an impressive range 5 attack; its High Velocity and Pierce 1 weapon keywords are a natural fit for the Commandos’ own Sharpshooter 1, to neutralize as many enemy defenses as possible. When the situation demands something a little less subtle, the Proton Charge Saboteur is a compelling low-cost and short range option that can even be used in melee! Its Critical 2 and Impact 3 keywords will force even the sturdiest Armor X targets to roll some defense dice.

Included with the Rebel Commandos are Upgrade Cards that may be equipped to any of your Rebel Alliance units, and beyond! The Emergency Stims card can be used to “delay” a unit suffering wounds from an enemy attack, keep more of their miniatures on the table for a last-ditch counterattack, before suffering those wounds at the end of their following Activation. Beyond the Rebel Commandos themselves, Emergency Stims makes a compelling case for its inclusion on characters such as Luke Skywalker, Hero of the Rebellion or Din Djarin, the Mandalorian; both prone to finding themselves in sticky situations and with powerful Command Card effects that would make for a fitting final Activation should it come to it. The Endurance Upgrade Card allows a unit to remove an additional Suppression token during the Round; critically, it is at the end of the Activation Phase, before the Score VPs step of the End Phase!

You don’t have to take the entire Empire on yourself! The Rebel Commandos Unit Expansion returns with new miniatures and an array of cards to enhance your games of Star Wars: Legion and to give the Rebel Alliance its best fighting chance. Pre-order your copy today at your local game store or on the webstore.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!