First Impressions of Han and the Commandos - Battle Report

I was one of the lucky few to pick up copies of Han Solo and the Rebel Commandos for Star Wars: Legion while at GenCon.  I was only home briefly between the con and another trip, but I was able to get the models built and sneak in a game with them.  I REALLY like the way that they played on the table.  Read on for my early impressions of them.




I have been really happy with the quality of the Legion models released to date.  I am happy to report that these are no exceptions.  FFG seems to be getting better with the sculpting and manufacturing with each subsequent release.  Both Han and the Commandos will be fun to paint and look great on the table.

They went almost immediately from my suitcase to being built when I got home.

Once I had them built I setup a game at the FLGS to give them a go.  Here's the list I used:

• Han
• Leia
• 2x Fleet Troopers - Scattergun, Concussion Grenades
• Rebel Troopers
• 2x Commandos - Proton Charges
• Commando Weapon Team - Sniper
• 2x AT-RT - Laser Cannon

I ended up playing an Imperial army with:

• Veers
• 3x Stormtroopers w/ DLT
• Stormtroopers w/ HH-12
• 2x Bikes
• AT-ST w/ Laser and Grenades

AT-STs are really popular locally, which is why we both had ample Impact in our armies.  We ended up playing Breakthrough using Major Offensive and Minefields.

We had his recently 3d printed bunker in the center of the table.

The mines were deployed such that the path around the central bunker was petty clogged on his half of the table.  He responded by setting to hook everything around the bunker towards my half of the table.  I deployed my AT-RTs and Corps units to counter this, while my Commandos went for the middle using their Scout moves.  My sniper team had a great fire lane up my end of the table.

I ended up intentionally triggering the mines near me with Han, figuring he was resilient enough to take it.  That gamble paid off well enough and spared my other Troopers certain damage.  Leia and the sniper team combined to start working over the bikes, before the sniper switched over to taking pot shots at Veers.  The Saboteur Commandos were able to throw charges in the path of my opponent which slowed him up considerably.  They then booked around the other side of the bunker and in to his deployment zone.

I won the game by getting 2 units of Commandos into his deployment area while Han and Leia kept any of his troopers out of mine.  His AT-ST racked up a ton of casualties against me early, while my return fire from my AT-RTs barely scratched his paint.  One of those games where I would have been best off ignoring it.

Anyways, here what I learned about the 2 new units:

Han

Command Cards - Sorry about the Mess was great, combined with my activation advantage.  Having a guarantee that I got the first activation with Han let me dance him out at the end of a round for 2 shots before doing the same at the start of the next round and running to safety.  Good stuff.  His other 2 cards are arguably stronger, but they didn't seem as useful in this game.  I never needed the distraction to work and with him only having Veers, Change of Plans was just not as powerful as it would be against a double commander list.

Impact as a Unit - Leia did most of the heavy lifting in keeping the rest of the army together.  This left it to Han to just start killing stuff.  He's good at it, but lacks the ability to clear whole units like Luke.  The wounds he can do definitely add up, but he really needs to be working to finish off damaged units rather than taking on full strength units.  I ended up having him and the sniper team wear down the same units, with Han eventually killing Veers. 

Commandos

Full Units - Scout 2 is such an underrated part of these guys abilities.  That starting full move lets you really claim some early territory.  I combined it with Leia's No Time For Sorrows to push hard to the center of the board.  The combination of NTFS and Scout 2 lets you scout move into the open, but then move into a safe spot before the game even starts. 

The full units were great and had really consistent damage output.  Sharpshooter plus 5 black dice with surge to hit really made them strong even without a heavy weapon to add to the mix.  I hate the inconsistency of Z-6 Rebel Troopers and I think these guys will be my cure for that.  With the 5th man their damage output is better than a Rotary AT-RT which is pretty cool.

Their Command 2 was also really useful and despite taking plenty of fire they always got their 2 actions.  My opponent was frustrated trying to attack them by the end as Low Profile plus a suppression counter meant heavy cover in the open.  It's what let them easily score in breakthrough.

Proton Charges - I think I threw about 7 charges onto the table.  Not a single one went off, but they won me the game.  They denied movement lanes and forced any of his units trying to Breakthrough to go around them.  Even doing no damage I was really pleased.  Don't forget that taking charges in a full squad really only costs 11 points.  You still get full use of that extra man.

Sniper - The sniper team was good, but not overwhelming.  I think I did 2 wounds the first time it shot and 1 wound every time after.  I was able to Aim most of my shots as well.  It really is all about the Sharpshooter/Pierce combo letting the damage stick.  It wasn't overwhelming, but it was very consistent which is I think something Rebel Troopers have lacked.

Overall I am pretty much in love with the Commandos and expect I will be taking 3x units of them in every game I play.  Han I will mix in occasionally, but he will have a rough time replacing either of the Skywalker twins.