Databank Download: This Is Some Rescue!

This iconic squad represents one of the most iconic early moments in the stories of these now legendary heroes. This was when Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Chewbacca had yet to formally join the Rebel Alliance but found themselves in a position to try to rescue Princess and Senator Leia Organa, who was soon to be executed as a prisoner on the Death Star. Shortly after being sprung from her cell, Leia, who was already secretly a Rebel agent, quickly took charge of the operation and managed to essentially rescue herself (with the assistance of the others). In the process, they helped recover vital schematics and information about the Death Star.

This hastily cobbled-together rescue plan required a great deal of luck, courage, and reckless enthusiasm from all involved, and required hijacking several stormtroopers to steal their armor as disguises, faking a prisoner transfer with Chewie, and a nearly fatal encounter in a trash compactor. The entire endeavor would never have succeeded if not for considerable support by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who would subsequently intercept Darth Vader and engage him in a duel to buy the others time to escape the station aboard the Millennium Falcon. This would prove to be a key moment in the history of the struggle against the Galactic Empire, in which all of its participants would play key roles.

Being the most invested in what was happening both on the Death Star and elsewhere, Princess Leia, Charming to the Last, is not messing around. She is a ruthless and driven Rebel leader who has just witnessed the destruction of Alderaan and is quite willing to defeat any Stormtroopers that get in her way.

All of Leia’s abilities offer a bonus Dash, so she is quite adept at crossing the battlefield quickly alongside her allies. Her Tactics Ability, Into the Garbage Chute, Flyboy offers a Rebel Alliance or Spy ally some additional movement and a Hunker token, to facilitate them getting into a better position. It’s important to bear in mind Leia is very much a Crack Shot, being skilled at moving and shooting, benefiting from Sharpshooter [2] and a Dash when making a focus action. It’s a Wonder You’re Still Alive affords either herself or an ally a small bit of healing and a Dash. And her Identity Ability, Somebody’s Gotta Save Our Skins provides the potential for immediate retaliation after an ally is wounded, sending someone Dashing toward the offending enemy to make a bonus attack. It also provides a Hunker token to someone near her and augments Leia’s defense rolls if there are wounded allies in her vicinity.

Princess Leia’s Stances can be roughly thought of as offensive and defensive, though there are a number of differences that might recommend one versus the other in some circumstances. Aggressive Ambassador focuses on dealing damage with her E-11 Blaster Rifle but does still include healing (including on its Defense Expertise Chart) and tactical choices, such as an early Disarm on its Combat Tree. Covert Rebel, as its name suggests, is a bit less direct and more cautious, though it still offers a Combat Tree with decent damage. This Stance is a bit stronger in melee, but more importantly has a markedly different Combat Tree with a pair of early Shoves as well as relatively early access to Exposed and Reposition.

Luke Skywalker, Daring Hero, brings us Luke more or less straight from the moisture farms but after a bit of training with Obi-Wan Kenobi, and still more or less clueless about his developing Force powers. Hyped up by stories he’s heard, he’s also a bit naive but recklessly brave. His Tactics Ability, I’m Here to Rescue You, offers a very versatile Reposition for himself or another Spy ally. Grappling Hook is an Active Ability that lets him Climb to a good spot and gain a Hunker token. He’s the Brains, Sweetheart facilitates ranged attacks while benefiting from a Hunker token, mitigating up to two failure roll results by allowing a reroll. And thanks to his borrowed attire, Oh, the Uniform allows Luke to maintain his Hunker tokens even when engaged.

Luke’s Act on Instinct Stance offers quite solid attack stats and Expertise Charts given the lad’s relative lack of experience, no doubt as a result of his burgeoning Force capability.

The final duo in this squad are Han and Chewie, who are ostensibly In It For the Money this time around. Fully scoundrels and mercenaries at this point in time, they aren’t quite ready to join the Rebel Alliance but are still quite capable of holding their own. As one would expect given Chewie is in the mix, they are rather durable by Supporting Unit standards and have some very useful abilities.

Look Out, He’s Loose is an Active Ability that represents Chewie running amok to distract the enemy while they’re potentially still confused about the others in their stormtrooper armor. This creates a scenario whereby an enemy may suffer penalties from having been engaged with either Han or Chewie, after being given a chance to move away, potentially off key objectives. This may inflict the chosen enemy with either Disarmed or Exposed. Boring Conversation Anyway gives a character in the unit a Reposition after its combat action, which has potentially significant tactical applications. We’re All Fine Here Now, Thank You provides a bit of replenishment after wounding an enemy, giving both healing and a Force token refresh. And I Expect to Be Well Paid offers the interesting option of gaining a Tag for the turn, allowing them to benefit from abilities that might not otherwise affect them. (“Sure, I’ll join the Rebels if you pay me, at least for the day.”)

The Brash Bravado Stance is beefier than is the norm for a Supporting Unit, but that’s because Han and Chewie aren’t exactly an ordinary unit. The Stance’s Combat Tree doesn’t offer the highest damage, due to being impaired by operating in disguise, but has excellent Attack stats, solid Expertise Charts, and a versatile Combat Tree offering ample Shoves and an early Disarm.

Having the chance to assemble this squad to take part in all manner of other missions and battles against various enemies, including some they never faced directly, is a great deal of fun. These characters play quite differently than their identities in later incarnations, and it’s especially engaging to experience this younger Princess Leia taking the lead as the squad’s aggressive primary. Worth noting these characters are all Spies, and some have abilities associated with that, allowing them to be included in other interesting squad combinations, such as those introduced in the “Inside Job” pack.

That’s it for today; make sure to check back for our next Shatterpoint Unit preview, where we give you a first look at how your favorite characters from the Star Wars™ galaxy translate into the gameplay of Shatterpoint. Pre-order your own copy of Star Wars: Shatterpoint at yourlocal game store or through our webstore today.

Until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!