Thoughts on Star Wars: Battle of Hoth

 “My lord, there are so many uncharted settlements. It could be smugglers, it could be....”

— Admiral Ozzel

Last week, on its Facebook page, Days of Wonder released information and photos about a Star Wars: Battle of Hoth board game based on Richard Borg’s venerable Commands & Colors (C&C) game system. The news rapidly spread across the adventure gaming hobby internet landscape. Although stodgy old former reporters like myself might prefer to wait for some official press release on a website, I could not ignore this news (though one might argue such announcements on social media are now more acceptable or reliable than any official communication on something so antiquated as a corporate website). My production manager at West End Games uttered some colorful sayings in appropriate circumstances. The buzz surrounding this announcement brings one to mind: “Opinions are like [DELETED]; everybody has one.” (You can fill in “[DELETED]” with your imagined appropriately common and arguably vulgar body part.) I’m sure everyone concerned will debate the game with every teased bit of news until well after it’s released. Normally I wouldn’t wade into forum discussions — and I won’t — but I thought readers might care for my opinion with some perspective from a longtime Star Wars fan, a veteran gamer, and a gamer dad, all in the context of the business of making money in these uncertain financial times. I’m very excited about Star Wars: Battle of Hoth, but, like any game consumer, I take into account many factors, including personal ones, when considering whether I would ultimately purchase the game. For those few who wonder or care, I’m still undecided, but leaning toward passing on this one.

Days of Wonder, and its parent company, Asmodee, have excellent reputations for releasing games with high production value and quality of gameplay. Asmodee holds a coveted license to produce Star Wars games, among them the X-wing Miniatures Game, Armada, Imperial Assault, Legion, and Shatterpoint, all of which have cycled through various stages of support and popularity over the years. (Note: some games originated with companies later acquired by Asmodee, notably Fantasy Flight Games.) We’ve enjoyed many of those games over the years, though I often note they, and their expansions, cost a pretty penny, so might remain beyond the finances of the casual gamer. Richard Borg’s C&C game system has powered a number of award-winning popular “battle games,” a very accessible hybrid of board and miniature wargames: Memoir’44 for World War II; C&C Napoleonics for the Napoleonic Wars, C&C Ancients, Battle Cry for the American Civil War, even Battlelore for medieval fantasy. Star Wars: Battle of Hoth seems a guaranteed hit combining the excellent and accessible C&C system with Days of Wonder/Asmodee’s high production values and, of course, the popularity of the Star Wars license.

The social media announcement offers a few interesting details and a good deal of hype:

This summer, discover STAR WARS: Battle of Hoth board game, a fast paced miniatures game based on one of the most iconic scene of the Star Wars Galaxy. Will you command the ferocious Imperial army or the courageous Rebel forces?

​In this new strategic board game, immerse yourself in an epic adventure where you can relive the Battle of Hoth across 17 unique scenarios, with the option to include 6 charismatic leaders to influence the conflict, or dive deeper into the conflict by playing the 2 dynamic multi-scenario campaigns. Easy to learn and quick to play, it offers dynamic battles that keep players engaged from start to finish.

​Designed by Richard Borg and Adrien Martinot.

The post indicates the game is for 2-4 players, runs about 30 minutes, suits players eight years and old​er, and releases in the summer of 2025​. (Note: the editor in me cringes a little that the release uses the word “dynamic” twice in consecutive sentences, a style quibble I might excuse in a hasty social media post but not an official corporate press release announcement...not sure which one this is, though, as noted above.)

My initial reaction was quite mixed, with lots of questions, some doubts, and a few concerns. Certainly I’m excited to see a C&C Star Wars game of any kind, since I like the system and setting. As (maybe?) an introductory product it has potential to draw new gamers into the hobby. It hints at possibly integrating some interesting innovations in the C&C system to account for elements reflecting the Star Wars setting. The components pictured — like those from other Days of Wonder games — look extremely high quality (and expensive).

But then I start examining it from a more practical perspective in comparison to other similar games, notably Memoir ’44, and from a consumer’s perspective.

Replay Value*: Hoth promises to eke “17 unique scenarios” out of a single day’s battle. C&C games come with scenario booklets that often cover many battles in a longer campaign stretching months or even years. Memoir ’44 battles run from D-Day on June 6, 1944, into the Battle of the Bulge six months later in December 1944. Several scenarios do cover the D-Day landings over the course of one day, but not the entire campaign. Memoir ’44 benefits from a rich library of additional scenarios from company designers and the fan community, aside from scenarios in expansion sets. Hoth doesn’t seem to have the potential for that kind of versatility. You really have to love the Battle of Hoth to play through 17 scenarios that ostensibly take place on one day of combat (for comparison, the Memoir ’44 base set comes with 17 scenarios covering about 12 battles in the last year of the war). While I love the Battle of Hoth — which had a huge cinematic impact with the introduction of the Imperial AT-AT walkers — I’m not sure it could sustain my gaming interests for more than a few engagements.

(* I realize “replay value” in this context isn’t quite the right term, but it works as a paragraph teaser.)

Full-Sized C&C? From the materials and photos released it’s difficult to discern whether Hoth is a “full-sized” C&C game. A close look at the release indicates the board is probably 10 hexes across the three battlefield sections marked for left, right, and center; most C&C game boards are 13 hexes wide. Subsequent photos make it seem like a square board rather than rectangular, presenting a smaller battlefield than other C&C games. Without some idea of the box size or component count it’s hard to estimate the scope of the game, though touting 17 scenarios gives the impression of a sizable game. It’s not clear yet whether this is an introductory or light version of a Star Wars C&C game-to-come (like the smaller, city-themed versions of Days of Wonder’s Ticket to Ride) or a full-scale entry in the line. The logo for “Galactic Battles” on the box corner indicates this may initiate a series of similar battle games, presumably for the Star Wars license, though one can only speculate if they’ll take on a similar C&C-lite format like Hoth or fill out into a full C&C game like Memoir ’44. Perhaps this allows Days of Wonder to test the waters, seeing how well the market responds, if demand can sustain sales, how the market accepts the inevitable expansions, and if production costs can weather the current tariff instability and consumer concerns over inflation (and the limits that might impose on discretionary spending).

Galactic Battles Series: Beyond the Hoth game, we don’t know what plans Days of Wonder/Asmodee has for a Star Wars-related Galactic Battles series of games. Do they intend Hoth as the first in a series of such games, each with high-production-value components and correspondingly high price tags? Of course Days of Wonder/Asmodee are in the business of making money, so establishing a Star Wars game line around a popular battle game engine makes sense...initially. How many Star Wars games can such a series hope to sustain at a high price point and in the face of economic stability between tariffs, rising inflation, and increased job insecurity in America? While some companies might still consider having a Star Wars merchandising agreement as a license to print money, the game-series strategy can easily cause financial burnout in avid fan-players who feel they must own something this amazingly cool based on their favorite films.

Price: I’ve not seen any definitive price yet. Some places speculate the game may retail at $50, but I’m skeptical until I see something more official from Days of Wonder. I’m not sure how tariffs might affect that. I’ll admit $50 for a game of limited scope based on one Star Wars battle (and hence little versatility across the setting) seems a bit more than I’d pay, even when the plastic miniatures look fantastic and the C&C gameplay has a long and proven history.

Business Concerns: To that end, I wonder about how Days of Wonder/Asmodee will navigate the business end of Hoth, expansions, and any subsequent Galactic Battles games. Certainly the biggest as-yet-unanswered question remains how the company will price the game. I bought Memoir’44 when it first released at GenCon 2004 for $50; today Asmodee’s website lists it for $65 (and “sold out”). What might Hoth cost gamers? Every consumer has their threshold for what they consider “too much” in a game considering its theme, mechanics, and components. Then I wonder where the game line might go next. Does Asmodee release expansions for Hoth? Does it develop larger, more versatile games for battles in the Rebellion or Clone Wars eras (along with related expansions)? And what do they cost? The current economic instability — highlighted by tariffs and inflation — overshadows all these business-related financial concerns. Add to this Asmodee shouldering more than $900 million in debt from the split of its corporate parent Embracer Group, pinning debt from problematic partners onto the one with solid sales in a profitable field. What might happen to Asmodee — and Days of Wonder and the Galactic Battles line — if these corporate decisions have dire ramifiations?

Everyone has their opinion whether or not they’ll buy the Hoth game. Your mileage may vary; I expect savvy consumers to evaluate their own multi-faceted circumstances when considering any game purchase. Like any gamer faced with a potential purchase, I maintain a number of considerations when deciding whether to ultimately purchase the Star Wars: Battle of Hoth board game: the price compared to my current financial situation, the likelihood of actually bringing it to the table for sustained play, and the space it takes up on said table and my shelves (among other issues).

I do not doubt this will be a fantastic game. C&C has a long legacy of popularity porting to different historical periods and genres. Depending on presentation, the system can serve as an introduction to wargame-style play. Merging that with a fan-favorite setting as wide-ranging as Star Wars seems like a winning strategy for both players and Days of Wonder. Like many C&C games, the production values look most impressive.

But right now, without more specifics, I’m on the fence. I love C&C, but an entire potentially expensive (by my standards) boxed game covering one battle — even with 17 well-designed scenarios — seems a bit too focused and possibly limited. I would much rather preferred a broad Star Wars C&C game to handle a multitude of battles on various terrain types (such as a two-sided grasslands/woodlands and snowscape board) and different units (more of a logistical challenge with the multitude of forces fielded in any given Star Wars battle). While my son would probably play any such game with me, he’d have no hesitation to play a Clone Wars version (he’s more into Clone Wars and I’m Rebellion era, but we’re pretty tolerant of each other’s tastes). And ultimately the price point and my financial situation at the time of release play a huge role in my decision. If it were a Kickstarter campaign I needed to pledge right now, I’d pass. At the end of the summer (or almost a month into my son’s warped school year) with more details I might have a different outlook. But probably not.

(After discussing what I knew about the game with my teenaged son, his initial excitement seemed tempered by realities, too. He ultimately declared it would be neat to have and try, but for him it’s not the new hotness hyped by the adventure gaming community at large.)

Ultimately at this moment we don’t know enough details about the game. Is it meant as a “light” or introductory version of a larger C&C battle game design? What components does it contain? Is the board a standard size for C&C? Does it used a streamlined, more simplified system to introduce new players, or does it present the depth of a full C&C game? What plans does Days of Wonder have for future Star Wars Galactic Battles games and how do they compare with Hoth in terms of scope, components, price, and versatility? And, a question relevant to all game publishers: how will the current economic instability, especially tariffs, affect production, scheduling, and pricing on future games? Hoth looks fantastic. It taps into our love for Star Wars. I hope it succeeds despite many economic uncertainties.

“You’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”

— Obi Wan Kenobi