Board game review: Battle of Hoth

Licensed games aren't always synonymous with quality, but when it comes to the Star Wars mega-franchise, there are several bright spots in a board game galaxy far, far away. Titles like Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game, Outer Rim, Fantasy Flights card game, Imperial Assult and Rebellion are all fantastic examples of brilliant "Star Wars in a box" experiences. The latest addition, Battle of Hoth, a fast-paced duelling game set in a snowy environment, definitely falls into this category, so I'll explain why Battle of Hoth is a must-have for your gaming shelf. Because who wouldn't want to have the best film in the series on their gaming table?

Battle of Hoth can be played by up to four players, but it's basically a tight 1v1 game that works best with two players (the best Star Wars games are usually for two). One player takes on the role of the Rebels, led by heroes like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. The other player takes on the role of - you guessed it - the Empire, where you can assume the role of Darth Vader himself. You find yourselves on opposite sides of Hoth's inhospitable landscape, fighting for everything from territory to survival. As a Rebel, you'll manoeuvre Snowspeeders and powerful laser cannons, while the Empire has access to colossal AT-AT machines and probe droids.

If you've played war games like Memoir 44, Battle of Hoth will feel extremely familiar in terms of game mechanics, but if you haven't played those games, Battle of Hoth is a fun and light-hearted introduction to the genre. In very brief terms, your turn looks like this: you first play a Command card to order specific troops to either move or attack the opponent. If the enemy is in firing position, you can attack by rolling a number of dice and if you get the right symbols on the dice, your squad will weaken the opposing team. When you're done, draw a new Command card and wait for your opponent's turn. That's it! The flow of the game is extremely simple and smooth, leading to fast-paced and intense rounds. The dice make the game turn-based, of course, but with clever placement of your soldiers, you can turn precarious situations into pure carnage.

The game consists of a total of 18 scenarios, the last of which requires two copies of Battle of Hoth. However, you don't need to do this for the game's other 17 scenarios, which contain different win criteria and different obstacles on the map. Most of the time, you need to take out at least four of your opponent's troops and win medals to win. In some scenarios, specific Sudden Death situations arise, and in the best scenario of the game, the rebels must protect generators from the Empire! In other words, there's plenty of variety here, and even if you play the same scenario several times, you'll quickly find new tactics. Before the review, we have played about ten scenarios and all feel balanced. We weren't as enamoured with one of the Sudden Death scenarios, but there's plenty of replayability in this nifty box.

Thematically, Battle of Hoth works really well for those who want to paint the fantastic opening of Empire Strikes Back in their living room, but after a while you'll want more than just the snowy map - and there will surely be expansions to fix that. Those looking for more strategic depth won't find it here either, as Battle of Hoth is more orientated to families and newcomers to the genre. For example, if you already have a stack of Memoir 44 games on your shelf, Battle of Hoth will most likely feel redundant.

Otherwise, however, I don't have much more to complain about, because the game itself is incredibly fun and tightly designed. The rules are clear, the mechanics are easy to understand, the miniatures are really nice, and the clever box sorting means that it doesn't take long at all to set up. In other words, for a Memoir 44 clone, Battle of Hoth is a great "old men on a map" game that keeps you coming back for more, and if you're a Star Wars fan, there's no reason not to start a winter war this autumn...

Score: 9/10
Number of players: 2-4
Game length: 30-60 min