A newStar Warsgame is coming soon, this time adapting the popularMemoir ‘44game system for a galaxy far, far, away. The Star Wars franchise has always been popular in the tabletop space, especially as it can fit into many different genres of game styles. Fromcard games likeStar Wars Unlimitedto skirmish miniatures games likeStar Wars Legion, many tabletop publishers have found plenty of room to adapt and innovate either totally unique Star Wars games or adaptations of other popular systems.
Over the weekend,Days of Wonder(via Facebook) teased that it was adaptingStar Warsfor itsMemoir ‘44system. The initial announcement showed off cards featuring the Rebel Alliance and Empire logos along with a board showing a dotted line,a clear reference toMemoir ‘44’s classic board.Based on the snowy terrain seen on the board, it appears that the new game will be an adaptation of theBattle of Hoth, which would fit well withMemoir ‘44’s theme of larger-scale battles.
New Star Wars Memoir 44 Game Has Been Revealed
New Star Wars Game Will Adapt The Memoir ‘44 System
For those unfamiliar with theMemoir ‘44franchise, the game involves players ordering various kinds of units across a battlefield and ordering them to attack enemy units in the hopes of scoring Victory Medals. Each type of unit (Infantry, Artillery, and Armored Units in the base game) has different ranges, with players rolling certain numbers of battle dice to determine whether they scored any kills on their opponents.One key to the game is that players are limited to what they can do by their command cards,which activate units within one of the game’s three sections of play.
AStar WarsMemoir ‘44game will likely include a mix of ground units, AT-ATs for the Empire, and Snowspeeders for the Rebel Alliance. It will be interesting to see whether the game uses any of the Battle of Hoth’s actual objectives - defending the power generator and buying time for the fleet to escape for the Rebels, while destroying the power generator and invading the Rebel’s base for the Empire - will be represented in the game. A successfulMemoir ‘44adaptation could also lead to futureStar Warsbattles getting adapted,although game makers would quickly have to dive into other eras to find suitable land battles.
Why New Star Wars Game Will Make Waves
Star Wars Game Is Unexpected Adaptation Of Popular Game System
AStar WarsMemoir ‘44game is notable for a few reasons. First,it’s been years since we’ve had a traditional Star Wars war game.While standaloneStar Warsboard games used to be the norm, they’ve been pushed out of the tabletop space in favor of the more expansive (and more expensive) miniatures skirmishgames likeStar Wars: Legion.Memoir ‘44is also a hugely popular war game in its own right, but not so complex that it would turn away the larger, more casual playerbase that Star Wars would bring.
Days of Wonder also doesn’t typically make licensed versions of its board games.The maker ofTicket to RideandHeatwould be exploring new territory with its newStar Warsgame.Although it’s hard to imagine aTicket to Ride Star Warsgame, the publisher could be looking to grow its portfolio of board games in new and exciting ways if it starts looking for ways to marry popular franchises like Marvel orStar Warswith some of its games.
An Affordable Star Wars Wargame At Last
New Game Could Open The Door To A New Wave Of Star Wars Games
Surprisingly,Star Warswargames that don’t cost hundreds of dollars to jump into are hard to come by these days. Even popular casual wargame franchises likeRiskorAxis & Allieshaven’t really dabbled in theStar Warsfranchise recently,leaving manyStar Warsfans with an itch that isn’t being scratched.AMemoir ‘44 Star Warsfranchises is a good start, especially if it finds ways to lean into theStar Warsfranchise instead of making a basic port that doesn’t do anything unique with the overall IP.
MoreStar Warsgames are always good, especially ones that use an already proven and balanced ruleset likeMemoir ‘44.
More importantly, aMemoir ‘44Star Warsgame should be pretty affordable. The baseMemoir ‘44game only costs about $65, and we’d expect this price point to hold for thenewStar Warsgameas well.Although the threat of tariffs could have an outsized impact on board games,this game would be a lot more affordable to jump into thanStar Wars: Legion, which costs hundreds of dollars to build an army. MoreStar Warsgames are always good, especially ones that use an already proven and balanced ruleset likeMemoir ‘44.
