Fantasy Flight Games preview the Anakin Skywalker Commander Expansion for Star Wars: Legion.
Anakin Skywalker is no mere Jedi Knight. Identified from his youth as the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force, his service to the Galactic Republic throughout the Clone Wars cemented his status as one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy.
Revered by his fellow Jedi and the clones who serve under his command alike, Skywalker employs all manner of unorthodox tactics as he fights to rid the galaxy of the Separatist menace. Now, he is ready to take command of your Star Wars™: Legion armies with the Anakin Skywalker Commander Expansion!
Within this expansion, you’ll find everything you need to place Anakin Skywalker in command of your Galactic Republic armies, beginning with a beautifully detailed, unpainted hard plastic miniature featuring two distinct assembly options. First, you can assemble Anakin Skywalker with a powerful two-handed grip on his lightsaber. Alternatively, he can be built with one hand on his lightsaber in an open stance.
In addition to the miniature, you’ll find all of Anakin Skywalker’s abilities laid out on a unit card alongside his three signature command cards that allow him to leave his own mark on a battle. Powerful as he may be, Skywalker is more susceptible than most to the temptations of the dark side, and this weakness is represented by a new Flaw card that his opponents can exploit. Finally, rounding out this expansion are six upgrade cards ensuring Anakin Skywalker has the training and Force abilities to face any test.
Hero of the Clone Wars
Anakin Skywalker played a major role in some of the most pivotal events of the Clone Wars, from the very first battle on Geonosis to the final days of the Republic. This expansion reflects his evolution as both a general and a combatant throughout this conflict, especially as a Force user. Beginning the war as a padawan, Skywalker quickly grew into a respected Jedi General and his unique abilities are on full display here.
Like many Jedi, Skywalker can easily traverse the battlefield ignoring terrain height 1 or lower, but he begins to set himself apart from his peers with his skill with a lightsaber. Few can match the power of his blows and Skywalker can easily pierce through an enemy’s defenses whether they’re armored or not. Better yet, he is a master of the Djem So form of combat and can redirect an opponent’s attacks with powerful strikes of his own, allowing him to inflict guaranteed damage on his attacker if he spends a dodge token.
Despite this prodigious power, Anakin Skywalker still craves more and this desire both aids and impedes him in battle. On the one hand, his temptation to use the dark side of the Force allows him to equip Force upgrades of any alignment, making him the only character in the game who can tap into their Anger while also using Light Side Force upgrades. On the other hand, this flaw provides your opponents with an advantage in the form of a flaw card that is added to their hand. This card begins shaking Skywalker’s faith in the Jedi Order, ultimately preventing him from being issued orders if he has at least one suppression token when it is played.
Even with this drawback, Anakin Skywalker is still a powerful Jedi Knight and his skills are further enhanced by his command cards. Rather than give him a tactical boost for a single round, each of his cards grants Skywalker new abilities with the Permanent keyword, allowing him to keep these cards in play and slowly grow in power over the course of the battle. At the same time, however, Anakin Skywalker‘s aggression often gets the better of him and each command card also requires him to meet a certain condition or take a suppression token.
For example, opponents would be wise not to underestimate Anakin Skywalker’s power. This card enhances both his lightsaber strikes and his mastery of the Force, making him even more useful in combat. But Anakin Skywalker must also capitalize on this aggression or else he will gain a suppression token every round he does not perform an attack. Doing so requires him to first move into melee combat, of course, and playing This is Where the Fun Begins allows him to confront an enemy and make an attack all at once while also helping him avoid damage along the way. In this case, however, Skywalker must also be the first friendly unit to activate to avoid gaining a suppression token.
Read more here, and pre-order the Anakin Skywalker Commander Expansion (SWL74) being released on November 20th from your local game store or direct from the Fantasy Flight Games website — happy gaming!
