Introduction

Alliance troops advance upon a small Imperial supply depot. Photo by S. Fox
About This Revision
What's New?
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Using this Game with Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game
What You Need to Play
Miniature Figures
Playing Area
Terrain
Other Materials
Game Scales
How To Play
Squads
Setting Up
Sequence of Play
Soldier Gender

Blasters burn through the air as snowspeeders advance across the frozen tundra.
A speeder, trailing thick, black smoke, plummets into the ice and explodes.
 Across the blasted ice, a lone hero, armed only with a lightsaber, prepares to face
a cloaked figure striding out of the darkness.
An exciting game of Star Wars Miniatures Battles is underway!

About This Revision

This revised version of Star Wars Miniatures Battles was brought about for a
number of reasons. West End Games, licensed through Lucasfilm, originally produced
this game in the early 1990’s. The rules were drafted by Stephen Crane and Paul
Murphy, and won the 1991 Origins “Best New Game” award (I strongly recommended
that you attempt to find a hard copy of these fantastic rules). However, subsequent years
were hard on WEG, and it eventually filed bankruptcy. Yet the appeal and popularity of
the Star Wars franchise has resurfaced with the “prequel” movies. Wizards of the Coast
picked up the role-playing game license for Star Wars, but they have no intention of
releasing a miniatures game. With interest still high for Star Wars Miniatures Battles on
the Internet forum, I feel that these rules should not fall into obscurity nor should they be
difficult to find.
This unofficial Star Wars Miniatures Battles – Third Edition is compatible with
the defunct West End Games Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game and its wide variety of
sourcebooks. This allows an expansion of the role-playing game and adds richer levels
of detail. Since one of the original intentions of the miniatures game was to be
compatible with the roleplaying game – enabling players to make forays into mass
combat as desired – the perfect opportunity had arisen to update these miniatures rules.
But the biggest reason for this work is the same reason that the Star Wars
Miniatures Battles Second Edition came out – the players. Bob Lippman came out with
some great Episode I rules. Don Hawthorne’s work gave us the Noghri stats and the
Starfighter Strafing rules. Jake Bourbon and Bob Lippman both caught several SGP
miscalculations in the original Star Wars Miniatures Battles books, and both Jake and
Bob provided statistics for almost all of the Episode II stats on this work. In addition, the
SWMB Internet Group discussed many rules clarifications, some of which were resolved
by Stephen Crane himself. I felt a centralized depository of the all these worthwhile
changes would be very useful to SWMB gamers (myself included). I hope you agree.
Now, on to Star Wars Miniatures Battles by Stephen Crane and Paul Murphy…
-- Guye Pennington

What’s New?
Those of you already familiar with Star Wars Miniatures Battles will find that this
revised version of the game is still straightforward and easy to learn. However, a greater
level of intricacy can now be experienced with the availability of the expanded skills
from Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition.
The major changes that you will notice are that most troops now have a slightly
greater Movement Rate than before, and that all combatants now cost a greater amount of
Squad Generation Points (both due to the introduction of the “Move” characteristic from
the roleplaying game). However, these changes affect all figures, so the relative balance
is still maintained.
 The addition of the Move characteristic also provides greater flexibility in
designing forces, especially if you use aliens and creatures from the roleplaying game. It
adds a greater sense of “realism” to the game – those Ewoks will be hard-pressed to keep
up with the rest of the troops now.
Additionally, the descriptions and procedures of some of the weapons and
equipment have been clarified, and the charts, tables, and record sheets have been revised
to reflect all of the changes in this revised edition.
Those of you who are reading this game for the first time will still find an easy-to-
learn game that can be played straight for quick and dirty battles, or elaborated on with
extra layers of detail as your imagination sees fit. So now, get comfortable, and prepare
to experience the excitement and wonder of …

A Galaxy Far, Far Away

On countless worlds groups of determined Rebels struggle to overthrow the
tyranny of the Empire. Armed only with their trusty blasters, they battle the Empire’s
unstoppable stormtroopers. Now, with Star Wars Miniatures Battles, you can fight out
these thrilling conflicts using miniature figures upon a tabletop. This time period of the
Galactic Civil is the one primarily envisioned for this game, and soldier statistics reflect
the Empire’s better weaponry against the Alliance’s more devout troops. However, any
scenario in the Star Wars universe can be played out with these rules (in fact, whole
chapters are devoted to “prequel era”); they just require some imagination and Star Wars
miniatures.
The game is played between two or more players who are split into two opposing
sides: the Imperial forces (the dark minions) and the Rebels (the heroic side). Unlike in
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, a gamemaster is not required to adjudicate play,
though one can be useful. Each player controls between six and sixty soldiers – Imperial
stormtroopers, Rebel troopers, mercenaries, Wookies, bounty hunters, and any of the
other warriors from the Star Wars galaxy. The individual soldiers and heroes are
represented by miniature figures. Players maneuver their model soldiers over a tabletop
representing the battlefield – the forests of Endor, the deserts of Tatooine, or the frozen
tundra of Hoth. During the game, soldiers fire at each other, engage in close assault
combat, and perform many other thrilling actions.
The Basic Game contains all the information needed to begin play. It describes
how squads are organized, fight and move, how soldiers react to pressures of battle, and
the order of events within a turn. An introductory scenario (Chapter Seven), “Like Rats
in a Trap,” is provided to get you into the action right away.
The Advanced Game adds rules for droids, creatures, heroes, the Force and shows
you how to use exotic science fiction settings in your games. It discusses how a
gamemaster can be added to create surprises and special situations for the players to deal
with. More scenarios follow, along with complete information on how to design your
own.
No miniatures game is complete without painted figures and model scenery. So,
in “Figures and Scenery,” we show you how easy and fun it is to paint your forces and
build miniature terrain.
 Using the Game with Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game
Star Wars Miniatures Battles is compatible with Star Wars: The Roleplaying
Game, Second Edition. Gamemasters can use these rules to easily resolve combat actions
involving player characters and large numbers of gamemaster characters. To facilitate
this, some of the standard roleplaying rules have been simplified or discarded and many
other game mechanics changed.
As character attributes, skills and equipment are virtually unchanged from one
system to another, it’s easy to translate characters from the roleplaying game to this one.
Star Wars Miniatures Battles can also be played on its own. It is a complete stand-alone
game; it is not necessary to own Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game to play and enjoy this
one.
What You Need to Play
To play a game of Star Wars Miniatures Battles, you need the following:

Miniature Figures
A selection of 25mm miniature figures to represent your soldiers. Depending
upon the size of your army, you will need between six and approximately sixty figures.
The figures should be mounted upon 1-inch bases and, for best effects, painted (see
“Figures and Scenery”). Official Star Wars Miniatures accurately portray the common
troop types and characters from the movies; we suggest that you use them in your games.
Star Wars 25mm Miniatures were once sold by West End Games and are the preferred
figure. A slightly larger 30mm figure can also be purchased from Wizards of the Coast.

Playing Area
You need a large table upon which to maneuver your figures. An 8’ x 6’ table is a
good size; larger playing areas are even better, especially when using large numbers of
soldiers on each side. Ultimately, the only limiting factor to table size is that you can
reach easily into the center without risking life and limb. However, note that the Map
Generator attached to this work assumes an 8’ x 6’ gaming area and the figures used
therein are approximately to scale unless otherwise noted.

Terrain
Once you have a table, you need to place miniature terrain on it to represent hills,
rivers, woods, walls, and other battlefield features. Much of this can be scratch-built out
of common materials at hardware or hobby stores (see “Figures and Scenery”). Pre-built
terrain for miniatures combat is available at many hobby stores. HO-scale railroad terrain
is also useful; check your local model railroad hobby shop.

Other Materials
 Plenty of standard six-sided dice. The more the better; 10 is a good starting
figure.
 Rulers or tape measures measuring in inches. One per player.
  Copies of the charts, tables, and Record Sheets in Section 3.5 Reference and in
the SWMB Generator. One copy of the charts and tables per player, and enough
Record Sheets for the scenario being played. Permission is granted to copy these
for your personal use.
 Pencils or pen and an eraser.
 Markers. You’ll find these again in the Section 3.5 Reference. Wound markers
are used to denote which soldiers have been injured in the combat. You may need
more than we provide: you might consider printing off several sets and mounting
the copies on cardstock. As an alternative, you can use ring binder reinforcements
– simply stick them to the base of the figure or place them over the figure’s arm or
head.
Fire+1 and No Fire markers are a handy way of keeping track of a squad’s fire
status and whether it has used opportunity fire.
 Templates. These are used, among other things, to show the burst areas of
grenades and thermal detonators, and to show which areas of the battlefield are
covered by smoke or fire. They can also be found in the Section 3.5 Reference.
For best results, the three sheets of templates should be printed off and the copies
mounted on stiff cardstock.

Game Scales
The ground scale used in Star Wars Miniatures Battles is one inch equals two
meters: every inch measured on the tabletop equates to two meters of real distance. A
blaster pistol with a long range of 120 meters can therefore shoot a maximum distance of
60” on the tabletop.
Where inches are mentioned in this book, they refer to tabletop distances. Meters
are used only to describe real world distances, such as a two-meter-high wall.
Each miniature figures represents one soldier. In the Advanced Game, figures are
used to represent heroes, droids, and creatures of the Star Wars universe.

How to Play
This section provides a quick overview of the game. It does not give enough
information here to play the game, but it does give a good idea of how the rules fit
together. If you are confused by any of the ideas presented below, keep reading; they are
explained in more detail later in the work.

Squads
Players maneuver their troops in groups between three and ten figures, called
“squads.” Each squad contains a commander, one or more standard soldiers, and
possibly one or two “specialists.” Squads move and fight together. Except for the
commander and specialists, they all have the same abilities, combat skills, and weapons.
As soldiers in the squads become casualties, the entire squad’s “morale” may suffer, and,
if things get bad enough, the squad may break and flee from the field of battle.
 Setting Up
At the start of the game, you and your opponent (or gamemaster) have to decide
upon a battle scenario – the circumstances of the battle. That is, you have to decide
where the battle takes place – inside the Death Star, in the streets and alleyways of Mos
Eisley, on the pristine roads of Naboo, in the jungles of Dagobah – and set up the tabletop
appropriately.
You also have to create you squads and heroes. To do this, you need a number of
Squad Record Sheets, a pencil, and perhaps some scratch paper. First, you and your
opponent decide how many “Squad Generation Points” (SGPs) you each are to have.
SGPs are spent to “purchase” your soldiers, their weaponry, and their training. Part of the
fun of miniatures combat comes from spending your points efficiently to create an
optimum army. Do you want a lot of troops who are not very well trained or armed, or
do you want a smaller force made up of highly trained elite soldiers?
Each side does not have to begin with the same number of SGPs. Standard
wisdom suggests that it takes two or three men to take out one man in a good defensive
position. If both forces are meeting in the middle of a field, they should be equal; but if
one side is inside Jabba’s palace and the other must advance across the open desert to dig
them out, the attacking side needs to be given an advantage in the number of SGPs
available.
For now, you don’t have to worry about designing your squads. The introductory
scenario (Chapter Seven), “Like Rats in a Trap,” comes with ready-to-use squads. Once
you’ve played this, you’ll be ready to design your own squads and fight larger battles.
Additional ready-made battles are provided in the “Scenarios” section of this
work. These describe the battlefield terrain and suggest the best types of squads for each
side.

Sequence of Play
A game of Star Wars Miniatures Battles is played in turns. Each turn follows a
strict “Sequence of Play” in which specific events occur. The sequence of play must be
followed to the letter. A player who forgets to move a squad in the “Movement Phase,”
cannot do so later in the “Fire Combat Phase”; he’s simply out of luck until the next turn.
In friendly games – the kind we like to play – players can agree between themselves to
cut each other a bit of slack in these things. However, until everyone is comfortable with
the rules, we suggest that you follow the sequence of play exactly.

Terrain
Terrain is the ground over which troops move and fight. Various types of terrain
may be encountered on the battlefield, including woods, swamps, hills, streams, rivers,
and other features described in the “Terrain” section.
Terrain features can provide a focus for a battle as one side attempts to take a
strategically placed hill from defending forces. As well as acting as objectives, terrain
influences the course of a battle by affecting movement, combat, and visibility. Each of
these effects are described in the relevant sections. So, rules on movement are covered in
the “Movement” section, and rules which affect combat in the “Fire Combat” and “Close
Assault Combat” sections.

1. The Initiative Phase

Players determine who has the “initiative” for the current turn. The players each roll
a die and add the highest command skill on their side to the roll. The player who rolls
the highest has the initiative for the turn. In the event of a tie, players re-roll.
2. The Movement Phase
The players move their squads across the battlefield. A player moves one of his
squads, then the other player moves one of his. The players alternate moving until all
squads have moved. The player with the initiative decides whether he will move first
or second. In general, all soldiers in a squad stay together – usually within two to five
inches of each other. Squad members who stray too far from the rest of the squad risk
becoming “separated,” which has a number of adverse effects.
A squad does not have to move at all; it may stay right where it is. A squad which
does not move may “opportunity fire” at squads which do move, providing it passes
its morale test, or it can reserve its fire for the “Fire Combat Phase.”
A squad which wishes to “Close Assault” – engage in hand-to-hand combat with
another squad – may declare a “Charge.” If the squad’s courage holds, that is, it
makes it through a morale test unscathed, it rushes toward the enemy. The enemy
must then make its own morale test – if successful, it does not break in the face of the
charge and gets to use “defensive fire” before the two squads fight each other with
clubs, knives, or bare fists.
3. The Fire Combat Phase
The player’s squads fire at each other. Fire may be resolved in any order; all fire in
this phase is assumed to simultaneous. In general, an entire squad will shoot at the
same target (typically, another squad); though squads can “split” their fire between
two targets.
The firing player makes a “blaster skill test” for each squad member who can fire
at the target; the difficulty of this test varies depending upon the terrain the target
occupies, the distance between the firer and the target, and whether the firer moved
during the turn.
For each successful hit, the firing player and target player make “opposed” rolls to
determine the effect of the shot. The firing player rolls the “Damage Strength” of the
weapon; the target player rolls the “Strength” of the target. Depending on the result,
the target soldier may be incapacitated, wounded, or take no damage from the shot.
As all fire is assumed to be simultaneous, a soldier who is wounded or
incapacitated by enemy fire gets to fire back before he takes the effects of the
damage.
4. Close Assault Combat Phase
Enemy soldiers in “base-to-base” contact with each other fight it out. The soldiers
make “opposed skill tests,” using their “melee combat” skills, if armed with melee
weapons; or their “brawling” skills if not. Winning soldiers may wound or
incapacitate their opponents.
5. The Morale Phase
 During this phase, you determine how well your soldiers are standing up to the
pressures of battle. Some soldiers break and flee at their first casualty; others fight on
until the last man. All squads that have had soldiers wounded or incapacitated in the
current turn must make a morale test; in addition, some squads with reduced morale
may attempt to “rally.”
Depending upon the outcome of the test, the squad’s morale level may decrease,
stay the same, or even increase. If the result is particularly bad, the testing squad may
be forced to “withdraw,” even if its morale still holds.
6. Special Actions Phase
In this phase, Fire+1 and No Fire markers are removed from the table.
The Advanced Game expands this phase. Heroes can perform special actions –
Force use, special skills, take command of squads, and so forth. A hero can make one
special action during this phase. Certain special battlefield conditions as defined in
the Advanced Game may be altered during this phase – weather conditions may
change, smoke may dissipate, fire may spread or go out, and so forth.

Soldier Gender
The majority of comments about a soldier engaging in combat or the player
wielding him will be masculine in nature. This is just a generic standardization, as it
would be cumbersome to constantly write he / she. However, as seen by the Star Wars
miniature figures, female soldiers exist and fight hardily alongside their male
counterparts. In the same vein, female players can be lethal opponents and are certainly
encouraged to play.