Scene to Stats: Imperial High Command

“Orson Krennic’s been building a secret weapon for over a decade. Colonel Yularen wasn’t even told until a month ago!”
– Lonni Jung, to Luthen Rael, Star Wars: Andor^TM

The Death Star, To the galaxy at large, this terrifying superweapon appeared overnight, replacing Alderaan in the night sky in the blink of an eye. To the Galactic Empire, this intergalactic superweapon is the result of innumerable hours of manpower spanning all the way from the end of the Clone Wars: the genius of scientists & engineers across the galaxy, the sweat of unwitting laborers, and the exploitation of the natural resources of scores of planets. Pulling the strings for these years of research and development were two rivals within the Imperial High Command: Grand Moff Tarkin and Director Orson Krennic.

Grand Moff Tarkin holds one of the highest stations within the Galactic Empire and brings decades of military experience to the front, earned during the Clone Wars and throughout the reign of the Empire. His commanding presence is represented by the powerful Pulling the
Strings keyword: this allows him to grant any Galactic Empire Trooper unit a free action, often a free Attack action. Grand Moff Tarkin has little need of a blaster of his own as Trooper units within the Galactic Empire are limitless; Stormtroopers, Imperial Death Troopers, Imperial Dark Troopers, or even another Commander or Operative could be targeted with this keyword for a fearsome attack or a clever reposition. Chief among these many options is the most dangerous Entourage yet: the right-hand of the Emperor, Darth Vader.

Grand Moff Tarkin leads your army with a pair of unique Command Cards reflecting his harsh approach to command. Moment of Triumph, if included in your Command Hand, must be Divulged to grant Darth Vader Guardian 4 and the ability to grant Backup to Grand Moff Tarkin even when the foe is at close range to them both. Additionally, while Tarkin is Contesting an eligible Objective token, he grants the Disciplined keyword to nearby allied units, pairing with his
Courage Value of 3 to make your troops stalwart in the defense of the Empire. Fear Will Keep Them in Line has two closely related effects: it can be Divulged during Setup to permanently grant your Ordered units each Round Demoralize 1, or it can be played during a Command Phase to grant all of your Galactic Empire units Demoralize 1 for that entire Round. Choose wisely, and bring your enemy to heel!

Veteran players of Star Wars: Legion will be no stranger to Director Orson Krennic, who returns in this expansion with a brand new, finely-detailed miniature. Krennic stands apart from the other Imperial High Command by way of his unrelenting Compel keyword, ensuring his army gives no quarter in the face of Suppression from enemy, or allied, effects. His Entourage keyword allows for ever-more-flexible list-building options with Imperial Death Troopers, and his Cunning keyword serves to make his already-formidable Command Hand even more powerful.

The Voracious Ambition Command Card, combined with Cunning, is able to win Priority against nearly any opponent, and grants Krennic’s army a number of hidden Order tokens, which allow a degree of autonomy for a number of units unbeknownst to your opponent. Deploy the Garrison grants free Standby actions at the beginning of the Activation Phase, limiting and dictating your opponent’s Activations or catching them in an inescapable crossfire. Annihilation Looms has stood the test of time as one of the most impactful Command Cards in Star Wars: Legion, applying Suppression tokens to every single unit on the battlefield, tokens which are likely to impair the enemy’s actions much more so than Krennic’s troops, thanks to keywords such as Compel and Disciplined!

The Imperial High Command expansion includes a shared 2-pip that any Commander with the appropriate subtitle may include in their Command Hand and play. The Empire Does Not Tolerate Failure brings to your battlefield the brutal tactics of the Galactic Empire, granting free Aim tokens to Ordered units, at the risk of suffering Wounds as disciplinary punishment if they fail to defeat an enemy unit during that Activation. Additionally, if the Ordered units are successful in their assignment to neutralize an enemy Commander or Operative, you will earn a bonus VP, putting the Empire one step closer to victory!

“What was first just a dream has now become a frightening reality for those who may oppose us.”

– Grand Admiral Thrawn, Star Wars: Ahsoka^TM

The monumental architecture of the Imperial war machine is sustained only by its leadership, a cold and self-interested chain of command that presents more opportunities for failure than promotion for those who dare climb it. It demands a brilliant and uncompromising strategic mind to rise to the top of this lethal competition, and the few who survive may eventually find themselves among the Imperial High Command, where they direct and serve the Empire with the full might of its army and navy at their disposal. Read on for a very special Scene to Stats, where we reveal the latest additions to the Galactic Empire: Grand Admiral Thrawn and General Tagge!

Grand Admiral Thrawn makes his debut in Star Wars: Legion as a brand-new Commander of the Galactic Empire, and one of the most capable Commanders among their notorious ranks. His Unit Card features the new and powerful combination of Cunning and One Step Ahead, allowing him to grant his forces free Speed-1 Moves based on the compared pips of players’ Command Cards, and win Priority more often than not after doing so. The Strategize 2 Card action and Tactical 1 ensure he’ll have ample tokens available to bolster your troops using Exemplar, and you’ll maintain exceptional Order control while doing so with his flexible Direct keyword. While Thrawn typically dismantles his foes well before direct confrontation, he is an exceptionally trained single combatant, with a respectful Chiss Martial Arts Melee attack and the Duelist keyword to thwart even heavily armed and armored adversaries.

Grand Admiral Thrawn releases alongside one of the most powerful collections of Command Cards yet, each providing opportunities to outsmart and outmaneuver your foes, leaving them trapped in no-win scenarios. His 1-pip, Architects of Their Own Destruction, allows you to nominate an enemy unit to either Activate first that Activation Phase, or Activate
last, leaving their so-called heroes and leaders helplessly exposed. We Must Wait and Watch is a dual-purpose Command Card: it may be Divulged during Setup to grant 3 of your units Reinforcements to spur them into position, or it may be withheld to be revealed at nearly any point later in the game, granting one of your units a vicious ambush with a free Move or free Attack action. Thrawn’s 3-pip, I Want You to Know Failure, grants all Galactic Empire units a free Aim token when they first fire into defending units that do not yet have facedown Order tokens, bringing mighty Imperial firepower to crush the foe before they have a chance to respond or recover.

General Tagge is a shrewd logistician, noted for his faith in the calculus of war above all. A review of his capabilities on the tabletop would not be complete without the prompt introduction of his unique Upgrade Card: Logistical Prowess. This Training card allows General Tagge to remove any number of tokens from the card to gain them himself, and he may replenish tokens on the card using his own Calculate Odds action, with the option of generating a Surge token in place of an Aim or a Dodge. This allows General Tagge the flexibility to generate your army any type of green token using his Exemplar, and the ability to sequester his tokens for a later Round if you determine they would better advance your goals at that time.

General Tagge brings with him a pair of Command Cards that further broaden his options when using Logistical Prowess. I Have Graphs AND the Command allows General Tagge to immediately gain any tokens from his equipped Logistical Prowess and grants him a Speed-2 Move, allowing him to force multiply your ranks with ample Aims, Dodges, and Surges
at the beginning of the Round and Moving him to the most efficient location from which to command using Exemplar. Canny Adversary catches the foe in a dangerous net, as any green tokens they spend within Range 4 of General Tagge will add those tokens to his Logistical Prowess and risk assigning them an Observation token: each token spent will be returned to your foe with lethal interest.

The high leadership of the Galactic Empire rarely travels alone; these VIPs are often escorted by highly trained security to thwart any would-be assassins or saboteurs. The Imperial High Command expansion includes a brand-new Upgrade Card for the classic Imperial Death Troopers unit, to allow these elite forces a new role as the personal bodyguards of your Imperial
leadership. This upgrade grants the equipped Imperial Death Troopers the Retinue keyword for any Galactic Empire Commander unit, improving their flexibility in virtually any Galactic Empire army with a free Aim or free Dodge token each Activation Phase, so long as they remain near their assignment. It also grants Guardian 2: Imperial High Command, allowing them to shield your leadership with their impressive armor.

Take the rebels apart piece by piece with the Imperial High Command expansion, releasing soon and available for preorder at your local game store and on the Asmodee webstore!

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions signing off!