The Star Wars: Battle of Hoth box already has substantial variety: 17 individual scenarios, two linked campaigns, six optional leaders and rules for teams. Days of Wonder also supplies an English scenario booklet, extra team-campaign guidance and a scenario editor online. These are different kinds of content. This page explains what is included, how to step up from your first battle, and what the publisher currently offers beyond the box.
Start with the numbered scenarios
The rulebook recommends scenario 1 as the starting point, then moving forward because the battles grow in complexity. Every scenario supplies its own terrain layout, starting units, command hand sizes, first player, victory-medal target and any special rule. Setting up a later battle with the first scenario’s hand size or objectives changes the game, so read both sides’ briefing before dealing cards.
Play the first scenario with the standard command decks and without optional leaders. After a battle, switch Imperial and Rebel sides if the same pair of players wants to compare approaches. A scenario is not a promise of identical starting resources: evaluate the side you have been assigned against its own objective. For a quick session, a single scenario is the natural unit of play; the publisher’s 30-minute estimate refers to the board game battle rather than completing a campaign in one sitting.
How the campaigns differ
There are two dynamic campaigns and four campaign booklets listed in the box contents. Their purpose is to link battles so an earlier victory or defeat affects what follows. Use the campaign booklet to set the next battle and apply its result; do not assume the ordinary scenario booklet alone contains the full campaign progression. Because the outcome can change later play, keep a record of which side won and which branch or instruction your booklet directs you to next.
A group can play a campaign over several sessions. Keep the same sides if the campaign instructions call for continuity, and check each new scenario’s setup even when the board looks familiar. The individual combat rules still come from the base rulebook; campaign instructions add context and progression. We do not reproduce the full branch tree here, since the included booklets are the authority for their own sequence.
Leader cards: an optional layer, not a separate expansion
Each side has three available leaders. The Imperial choices are Darth Vader, Maximilian Veers and Firmus Piett; the Rebels have Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. If players agree to use leaders, each side selects one and shuffles that character’s three command cards into its deck. These are tactic cards and follow their printed effects. No extra leader purchase is needed for the six included characters.
The base standard deck is 16 cards for each side. Adding a leader changes card availability and can make a hand feel different, but it does not automatically change the scenario’s units or medal target. For a first game, learn section orders, movement and attack ranges before introducing these optional tactical effects. In later games, choose leaders for the kind of orders and threats your scenario makes relevant rather than for a favorite character alone.
Three- and four-player team mode
Team mode assigns up to two players to a side. With three total players, the solo player faces a two-person team and acts after each team member’s turn; with four, the active players alternate within each team as sides take turns. A two-person team splits its side’s 16 standard command cards into two personal eight-card decks and each player draws half the scenario’s indicated hand size, rounded up. The active teammate uses their own hand and draws from their own deck.
Teammates can show their command cards and discuss plans, but discussion must be open to the opposing side, and the active player decides the move. This is an intentional team rule, not a hidden cooperative hand. Days of Wonder provides a separate English team-campaign download for questions that arise when the campaigns are played with teammates. Consult it before mixing campaign progression and team mode.
Online scenarios and scenario editor
The publisher’s resources page hosts an English scenario booklet and team rules. Its site also links to a scenario editor and Galactic archives. The editor lets players explore custom battle layouts; distinguish a publisher-supplied scenario from a community-created one when judging balance or special rules. Check a custom setup against the components in your box, especially units, terrain and structures.
At the time of this review, the official game and resources pages show the base box, downloads and creation tools; I did not find a separately listed boxed expansion there. That is a snapshot of those pages, not a forecast of future products. If a retailer advertises an “expansion,” verify its publisher, contents and rulebook rather than assuming it is compatible with the 2025 Days of Wonder game. A second copy or a fan scenario is not the same product category as an official expansion.
Which content to try next?
| You want | Try | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| A short learning session | Scenario 1, standard decks | Base box |
| A different tactical hand | Optional leader cards | Base box and both players’ agreement |
| Consequences across battles | One of the two campaigns | Included campaign booklets |
| Three or four players | Team mode | Base rules; team-campaign download for linked play |
| New layouts | Publisher resources or scenario editor | Check the scenario’s required components |
Return to the rules walkthrough, strategy or terrain and medals before a more complex scenario. Sources checked October 3, 2026: Days of Wonder product and contents, official resources and the English rulebook.