Star Wars Miniatures - Darth Vader & Obi-wan Redux

I am currently the proud owner of two miniatures games, which are Star Wars Miniatures and Axis & Allies Miniatures and I love them.  They give me a nice light alternative to my hex and counter games, most of which are relatively complex affairs that are not always easy to dig out and mull over, especially after a long day at work. The rules for these two games are a breeze to learn, filled with pages of nice color illustrations and lots of examples.  Most of the time, the outcome of my playthroughs are decided more by the luck of the die rather than any real tactical considerations, which is great when you're tired and more concerned with the beer and pretzels than the right die roll modifier for being behind low cover.

Anyway, here's a brief playthrough of a battle between the galactic forces of light and darkness.  Although the situation doesn't exactly follow the movies, that's fine with me.  In fact, that's the beauty of this game.  If you want to make a "what if" scenario that doesn't make any real sense, then so be it. Get out the beer and pretzels and roll some dice and that's all that matters.

Here, I pitted a small group of Rebels (56 points total) against the evil Imperials (56 points) using the Star Wars Miniatures game rules and minis.  The scenario takes place in an alternate Star Wars timeline where Darth Vader and a pair of stormtroopers face off against the Obi Wan Kenobi and a pair of rebels.  Maybe Obi Wan somehow survived his first fight with Vader on the Death Star, which gives us a chance for a rematch after the Death Star blew up in the first movie.  Obi Wan finds an abandoned Imperial base somewhere and walks into a trap with Vader and two stormtroopers waiting inside.  Both men decide to even up old scores and to settle the matter once and for all.

Vader and 2 stormtroopers await the Rebels' arrival at an old abandoned Imperial base.

I had the Imperials setup first here on the left side of the map.  They start off behind cover in an old cargo area, hoping to ambush the Rebels when they enter.

Obi-Wan and two rebels (heavy weapons and an elite) enter the abandoned complex.

The Rebels march right into the place and don't have many options.  There's a large blast door right in front of them, with a security room to the left and a conference room to the right.  Obi-wan immediately senses the danger ahead of them and warns the rebels to be cautious.

Overhead view of map with Imperials on one side and Rebels on the other.

The Imperials get initiative on the following turn and Vader sends the two stormtroopers forward into cover.  He waits patiently for the right opportunity to strike.

The stormtroopers find cover in the cargo bay.

The Rebels decide to find out what's behind the blast door and the elite soldier moves ahead of the group.  The blast doors open to reveal Vader and the stormtroopers straight ahead.  The rebel heavy trooper fires a shot at the nearest stormtrooper but misses.

A Rebel heavy trooper takes aim.

Vader, obviously angered at the nerve of the heavy trooper to fire a weapon in his vicinity, decides to take matters into hand.  He spends 2 force points to force choke the elite trooper, who is immediately killed.  The blast door shuts and Kenobi advances with the heavy trooper behind him to provide cover.  Unfortunately, both stormtroopers fire at him and he takes 20 damage.  It's not enough to really phase him, since he has 100 hit points.

Kenobi makes it to the blast door.

On the next turn, the Rebels finally get initiative and Kenobi spends a force point to get adjacent to the nearest stormtrooper and start swinging his lightsaber.  Unfortunately, the force is not with Obi Wan and he completely misses (rolling a "1" for an automatic miss).

Kenobi swings for the fences and...misses horribly.

Having been given orders by the Sith Lord to leave Kenobi for Vader alone, the stormtroopers back off and decide to take out the remaining Rebel heavy trooper.  They head for the blast door near the entrance to the complex.

Both stormtroopers decide to focus on the remaining rebel soldier.

And it's on.  Vader moves up to Kenobi by using a force point for extra movement allowance and he inflicts 20 damage on Kenobi.  Rage flowing through his veins, Vader calls Obi Wan a "weak old man" and Kenobi warns him that striking him down will only make him more powerful than Vader can possibly imagine.

Vader and Kenobi go toe to toe.

The Rebel heavy trooper fires at one of the stormtroopers near the blast door and hits him hard.  The heavy laser blast penetrates the stormtrooper's armor and he slams to the ground, dead.

Only one stormtrooper remains after the Rebel heavy has fired.

Meanwhile, Kenobi valiantly attempts to defend himself from Vader but it's a battle he cannot win.  Vader spends his final force points on "Force Rage", which adds +10 damage to his attacks.  Vader slashes twice at Kenobi with his lightsaber and soon, Kenobi is down to his final hit points.  Finally, Kenobi calmly lifts his lightsaber up and closes his eyes.  Vader swings but the lightsaber cuts only through the old man's robes, which collapse silently onto the floor of the cargo bay.

Vader fighting Kenobi in his last moments.

The remaining stormtrooper hefts his blaster and shoots at the heavy trooper. The blast hits the heavy trooper's chest and the rebel scum falls dead to the ground.  It seems the Imperials have won a major victory.

Vader and his remaining bro have the situation under control.