Nien Nunb

Nien Nunb is one of the most reviled pieces available for Star Wars Miniatures. This is not because he's awful—he's not. But he is entirely unique in that he is entirely Unique. As in, that's all his card says. He has no beneficial abilities of any sort, just the ability that says, "Hey, bounty hunters, have a bonus to your Attack when shooting me!" (It also says that you can't have more than one in your squad, because, let's face it, it would make winning a little too easy.)

To be honest, though, there's nothing wrong with Nien. As mid-range shooters go, he's right on par with others in his point category (though Boba Fett, Young Mercenary is much, much better than he is). He just doesn't have anything to distinguish him particularly from others in his class, and you usually will just take one of the cheaper bounty hunters to get the bonus to Attack against other Unique pieces.

The one thing that Nien has over those cheaper bounty hunters is that he's a Rebel and not Fringe. With Captain Antilles seeing more and more use, it's a little tougher to just throw Fringe pieces into the mix. You might also want to include Nien if you don't have a better candidate for Yoda of Dagobah's Light Tutor ability (which only works on Rebels).

Really, though, there's not a whole lot to say about Nien, probably because his card doesn't say much about him. Just remember that there are much worse pieces in the game (Princess Leia, Captive, I'm looking disapprovingly in your direction).

Overall rating in 100: 2.5
Overall rating in 200: 2.5

Wedge Antilles

Among Star Wars minor character fetishism, there are basically two schools of thought. The first refers to Boba Fett as “The Man.” The other will accept no Man but Wedge Antilles (there is a third but far less popular faction that considers Admiral Piett the pinnacle of Mandom, but that’s neither here nor there). Wedge’s status as a fan favorite is based mostly on his amazing tendency to be a minor character in the original Star Wars trilogy who lives through the whole thing. From the destruction of the Death Star to the destruction of the other Death Star, Wedge goes through it all and emerges unscathed. His miniature, while certainly not competition caliber, at least captures this aspect well.

For a lousy 22 points, Wedge has decent numbers, except for lousy Damage. His gimmick is that he might be the toughest 22 points to kill in the game. It starts with Evade, allowing Wedge an even chance to avoid the attacks of anyone who doesn’t press the gun against his temple (or use a lightsaber, Gaderffi stick, or vibroblade). It continues with Avoid Defeat, giving him a 25% to bounce back even after you’ve chewed through his 70 hit points.

Offensively, Wedge packs... Grenades 10. That’s it. Well, and a ranged attack that also does 10 damage. But that’s really it. So here’s the question: why does your opponent want to go through the considerable trouble of killing Wedge? In theory, his Commander Effect may provide the answer (“Allied Pilots gain Evade”).

Great! So we just need to find some powerful Pilots and put them in a squad with Wedge, who will keep them safe long enough to do their thing! Let’s see, who counts as a Pilot?


(rummages around in mini collection)


Seriously? Just the Shistavanen Pilot and the Rebel Pilot? Can we get someone with a damage potential on this piloting thing? Because until there’s a Pilot worth protecting, Wedge is firmly in the category of “novelty pieces.”

If you really want to use him, though, consider teaming him up with Yoda of Dagobah. Yoda can use Light Tutor to give Wedge access to the Force, allowing him to reroll all those glorious saves he gets to make. You won’t win, but it will take your opponent a long, long time to kill you.

Overall rating in 100: 1.5
Overall rating in 200: 1.5

Yoda of Dagobah

Yoda of Dagobah is very much a tactician's piece. He does a lot of different things, and several of them are either completely unique or shared by only one or two other pieces in the game.

First off, he has zeros in both Attack and Damage, and no damaging abilities of any sort. If you're playing a "kill 'em all" game and he's your last piece, you are dead and don't yet know it (if you're playing a Gambit-scored game, Giant Yoda can theoretically still win by stalling tactics and gaining center points).

The most straightforward usage of YoD is as a Force battery. He has the Commander Effect that lets him share Force Points and the completely unprecedented Force Renewal 2. Not a typo, not an imaginary story, this Yoda gains two Force Points every single activation, making him the best Force battery in the game (except for that elitist bit that he can only share with characters that already have Force ratings; Emperor Palpatine cares about everyone, because he's a nice guy). Not content to just share Force in life, this Yoda also has Force Spirit 6, giving one last gift before he shuffles off this mortal terrain map.

Light Tutor is another crazy ability, unprecedented and unique in the game. It makes any allied Rebel character into a tiny Force-user with a whole Force Point of his own (and, moreover, the ability to share Yoda's glorious bounty). Chewbacca, Rebel Hero is a popular choice for this, but Wedge Antilles, with his suite of "I don't die until I fail some saving throws" abilities, makes for an entertaining choice. Personally, I like to give it to the Hoth Trooper with Atgar Cannon, because spending a Force Point can give that thing a 50% increase in speed. Note that any figure affected by Light Tutor is now also subject to Jedi Hunter, which can be a major detriment.
Next, we get to Yoda's "neener, neener" abilities, Force Alter and Force Defense. You can't use Sith Lightning on him, and you can't attack him very well, provided he's still got some Force Points (Force Renewal 2, in case you forgot).

Oh, and Master of the Force 3, did I mention that? It's actually really easy for Yoda to run out of Force Points despite the FR2, just because he has so many ways to spend them, and can spend them up to three times per turn.

Finally, this Yoda's bread-and-butter move is Force Stun. By itself, Force Stun is a basic 50/50 chance (worse against most Force-users, who can reroll the save) to activate a character for the round. It's only extraordinary in this case because it doesn't replace attacks or turn, and Yoda has Master of the Force 3, allowing him to say, "Stun you I do! The save you have made? Stun you again, I do! Another save successful? Stun you I do!" Bear in mind you can make these decisions as you go, so you can keep at the one guy you really want to stun, or, if the dice are on your side, possibly stun three different targets on the same turn (remember that Force Stun uses the standard targeting rules, though, so you might have to move to get a new target).

Yoda of Dagobah is a very cool piece (if oversized compared to the other Yodas), and absolutely worth the points, but is not a piece for new or inexperienced players. His collection of weird abilities and the Force Point decisions that he forces you to make put him firmly in the "difficult to play well" camp, but he's eminently worth it.

Overall rating in 100: 3 (over a third of your squad not being able to damage anything is a tough pill to swallow)
Overall rating in 200: 4.5 (extremely effective, especially if kept on the sidelines to build up some Force first).

Chewbacca, Rebel Hero

If you read my review of Han Solo, Rebel Hero a couple of days ago, my review for Chewbacca, Rebel Hero is going to sound a little familiar. Once again, WOTC took an existing piece that was pretty good (though not as good as the original Han Solo), and made a phenomenal replacement by tacking "Rebel Hero" on to the end of his name.

Understand that not all new versions of characters are replacements. Yoda, Jedi Master; Luke on Tauntaun; and Emperor Palpatine, Sith Lord are all examples of characters that are different interpretations of their originals, but not clear replacements. Chewbacca, Rebel Hero is not one of these; he's a replacement. The old Chewie sported Cleave and Momentum and decent numbers. He was pretty good, but not terrific. Then the Universe set came out, with all sorts of juicy new Rebel Heros.

For six more points, you get +1 Attack, +20 Hit Points, Bodyguard(!), Repair, Industrial Repair, Gunner, and Demolish. That's actually seven improvements for your lousy six points, though they're not all of the same caliber, as we'll see.

Bodyguard is really the marquee ability here. Many squads depend on keeping a particular character alive, and whether that key character is a support piece or a primary damage-dealer, they can all benefit from 120 extra Hit Points.

Industrial Repair and Gunner give Chewie nice synergy with any Mounted Weapon units you happen to like. At this point, you can mostly just put him in with a Viper Droid, if you're into that sort of thing (but the Separatists have strictly better support for the big mirror-tank).

Repair 10 is cute, but of limited utility at this point. If you're using C-3PO to draw enemy fire, Chewie and R2-D2 can cooperate to keep him standing.

Demolish is obviously a situational ability, but really nice to have when the relevant situation comes up. Damage Reduction can really ruin your day, but a nice, solid 30 damage Momentum hit from Chewie that also ignores DR will make you feel much more manly and less oppressed by the AT-STs and Acklays of the world.

One thing that bears mentioning about this version of Chewie, however, is that he's not the center of your squad. At 30 points, you might expect him to play a significant role, and he should, but don't think of him as a primary damage-dealer. He only has one attack, and a mediocre Attack rating when he doesn't have Momentum working for him. He exists to support your real damage-dealer, who in this faction is probably Han Solo, Rebel Hero (or some Fringe uberpiece like Fett or Sing). Use him as the king of support pieces and secondary threats, and you'll do well.

Overall rating in 100: 3.5
Overall rating in 200: 4.5

Han Solo, Rebel Hero

Han Solo, Rebel Hero took one of the best figures from Rebel Storm and made him better. Back in Rebel Storm days, Han was a tournament mainstay, offering 20 damage, Cunning Attack, and Accurate Shot (allowing him to get the most out of Cunning Attack by targeting figures that hadn't activated yet). He also had a Force Point, allowing for a critical re-roll and (sometimes more importantly) to be the recipient of Obi-Wan's Force Spirit. Yep, RS Han Solo had it all, and is almost completely obsolete now.

For a mere seven additional points, Han Solo, Rebel Hero does everything his predecessor did, but adds two points of Defense, three(!) points of Attack, ten Hit Points, Mobile Attack(!), and a pretty cool Commander Effect that allows followers to hit for an additional ten points if they're shooting someone who hasn't activated yet. Seven points.

In all fairness, there is one thing that the RS Han has on the new one, which is the double-edged sword of being a follower (followers are subject to more Commander Effects than guys with Commander Effects of their own). The 28-point Han, backed up by Admiral Ackbar and Princess Leia, Senator, is a reasonable substitute for the Rebel Hero, but let's not kid ourselves; the new Han is better, and a lot better, at that.

For better or worse, WOTC took one of the competitive pieces for the Rebels and replaced it with the competitive piece for the Rebels. Accept no substitutes, every Rebel squad should use this guy.

Overall rating in 100: 5
Overall rating in 200: 5

Luke Skywalker, Young Jedi

While he isn't the Vader-crushing beatstick I still hope we'll one day get in this game, the Young Jedi version of Luke Skywalker is a pretty great piece.

At 21 points, his numbers are extremely solid, with Double Attack making him one of the highest damage outputs for the cost in the game (with the obvious caveat that he has to be in melee range to do any damage at all). Fortunately, he packs Lightsaber Deflect to help him make it to the fight, and Force Alter to prevent criticals against him or his friends.

Jedi Mind Trick is a cute ability, but generally not as good as Force Stun. The differences are that JMT only has a range of two squares, but also prevents attacks of opportunity. This is know as the "Look over there! Is that an emu yodeling?" defense. You use Mind Trick on some dangerous thing that has based you, then get away without the traditional attack of opportunity. The big flaw with this idea is that almost anything in the game that Luke might want to run away from base contact with will have Force Points of its own, reducing our 50% to a 25%. On the other hand, if you're pulling from the bottomless bag of Force Points that is Yoda of Dagobah, you might be okay spending one just to get your opponent to spend one of their (probably limited) points.

Young Jedi Luke won't see a lot of play, because Luke on Tauntaun offers the much sexier trick of automatic criticals, but if you're looking for a Luke with more than one trick up his sleeve, I recommend this one.

Overall rating in 100: 4
Overall rating in 200: 4

Luke Skywalker on Tauntaun

Luke Skywalker on Tauntaun has the interesting pair of distinctions of being the cheapest Luke and the one that currently sees the most competitive play. The reason for this is his lone Force Power, so I'm going to talk about it last.

For 16 points, Horsey Luke presents an attractive package, with very reasonable base stats, the huge advantage of Speed 8, and the ability to both shoot and use a lightsaber for extra damage up close. If he did nothing else, he'd be fine filler, but nothing to base a squad around.

Like all Lukes, he has some Force Points, but only enough to use his one Force Power once. "Use the Force" is obviously intended to evoke his amazing kill shot on the Death Star, allowing Luke to score an automatic critical hit. Why the Death Star-killing power is on a version of Luke from three years after the Battle of Yavin is a matter for the philosophers to discuss.

Anyway, Use the Force is obviously handy, working almost like Sith Grip or other auto-damage powers, and I have actually finished a game on it, killing an enemy Mace Windu before he could get back to a medic in a locked room. The reason that this is the Luke for competitive play, however, is because of the combos available with it.

First of all, one use of the ability isn't anything to base a squad around. The old way to fuel Luke was to get Obi-Wan killed and let Luke have some Force Spirit lovin'. The fancy new way to keep the auto-crits coming is Yoda of Dagobah and his stellar Force Renewal 2. Also, if you know you're going to be scoring criticals, you clearly need a Chagrian Mercenary Commander, he of the +20 to damage on critical hits. Finally, with Han Solo, Rebel Hero around, if Luke is shooting an unactivated character, we can make this automatic hit worth a total of 50 damage (60 if adjacent). The big down side here is that the combo is fairly fragile, requiring a number of pieces to work properly, and a good Accurate Shooter can really ruin your day. Bodyguards are therefore essential, but the good news is that the Rebels are blessed with the best Bodyguard in the game. I won't tell you his name, but it rhymes with "Mewbacca, Febel Zero."

As filler or the core of the squad, Luke on Tauntaun is an extremely solid buy for your paltry 16 points. If you do try to make him the core of your squad, however, I strongly suggest you have a backup plan, as you really have to devote a lot of fragile pieces to the auto-crit gimmick.

Overall rating in 100: 4
Overall rating in 200: 3.5 (wider selection of opponents makes the auto-crit ability less overwhelming)

Hoth Trooper with Atgar Cannon

Hoth Trooper with Atgar Cannon might be the weirdest piece in the game. It has the best hit points to cost ratio there is, but loses most of its utility after it takes a certain amount of damage. It's a Living piece that can be healed with Industrial Repair (as well as normal healing abilities). It's attack works like the Missiles ability, in addition to being a normal attack. It also has Speed 2 and Heavy Weapon, making it effectively even slower than Jabba the Hutt. Oh, and did I mention the very worst Defense score in the game?

Given all this, opinions are sort of sharply divided on the Atgar's effectiveness. No one (to my knowledge) thinks it's top tier by any stretch, but it actually can be used, and fairly effectively.
The first secret to using the thing well is to use it in multiples. It requires a fair amount of support in its squad, so you should probably maximize your synergy by having more than one piece that benefits from that support. Your first stop is the Rebel Captain, who can give the Atgar Twin Attack, thanks to the fact that it's called the "Hoth TROOPER with Atgar Cannon" and not some other variant of the name. Twin Attack makes these guys much scarier, because twice the splash and twice the chance of a lucky critical on that 30 base damage can only help you.

The other completely indispensable support is Admiral Ackbar (or a Rebel Officer, if Ackbar is unavailable). +4 to hit almost brings the Atgar to respectability, and vastly increases the chances of landing some of that juicy damage.

You should probably bring Princess Leia, Senator, who will let you move your Atgars 50% faster than they can go on their own. When you've got Speed 2, getting to move an extra two squares at the end your turn is a big deal. You might also consider Hoth Commander Leia, except that, since the Atgar stops being able to attack when it's reduced to 30 or fewer hit points, most opponents won't finish them off, so the resurrection Commander Effect helps less than usual. You know you can use the speed boost from Senator Leia, though, so that's my preference.

Finally, a piece or two with Industrial Repair is a good idea. Chewbacca, Rebel Hero; BoShek; or an Iktotchi Tech Specialist are all valid options. Keep those Atgars at 40 and above, and they can keep attacking. A sneaky thing to remember, however, is that even an Atgar at 10 hit points can still combine fire. Your opponent may forget about this, and sufficient combined fire can turn even a measly +3 Attack into a virtually sure hit, so remember combined fire if you choose to play an Atgar squad.

The bottom line is that the Atgar is not a bad piece, but it's definitely not easy to play. If you're looking for a challenge, try it out, but watch out for highly mobile opponents.

Overall rating in 100: 1.5 (tough to get sufficient support in here)
Overall rating in 200: 3.5 (if you can get them pointed at the main fight, they can be pretty effective backup)