Star Wars Villainous Game

By: Ravensburger    Players: 2-4     Ages: 10+     Time: 50 mins

Step into a galaxy far, far away and become one of five iconic Star Wars Villains, each with their own unique objectives.

Use your sinister influence and unique abilities to manipulate events in your favour whilst forcing your opponents to engage in battle with legendary Star Wars heroes. Ambition action is a crucial gameplay mechanic, acting as a type of currency that must be strategically managed to play cards and advance your villain’s objectives. Additionally, ambition cards are essential for advancing the villain’s strategies, providing necessary resources that players accumulate at the beginning of their turns.

Are you powerful and clever enough to fulfil your dark destiny and take control of the galaxy before your opponents?

What Is Star Wars Villainous?  

The Villainous game series was created back in 2018. It was designed by Aaron Donogh, Prospero Hall, and Brian Kirk and published by Ravensburger. It was well-received upon release and nominated for several awards. It also saw many expansions over the years that added new playable characters to the mix, and eventually spawned a couple of different iterations featuring characters from the Marvel and Star Wars universe. Characters like Kylo Ren aim to fully embrace the dark side as part of their winning strategy, creating an interactive element where players must manage their characters’ journey between light and dark while also navigating the game’s complex mechanics.

The original game offered players the chance to take control of one of six classic Disney villains and compete with their rivals to fulfil their devious objectives. The Star Wars iteration gives players the opportunity to play as one of five iconic villains and help them succeed in their nefarious plans. Each turn players will gain more ambition, move to different locations and perform various actions unique to the space they occupy. Each character has a unique set of cards and abilities they can use to help themselves or hinder their opponents, and understanding how to utilise these correctly is what will help them carry out their plans. The game emphasizes the unique powers and abilities of the villains, showcasing the star wars villainous power that players can leverage to achieve victory.

Overview of the Star Wars Version

The Star Wars version of Villainous is a thrilling addition to the beloved franchise, transporting players into the heart of the Star Wars galaxy. In this iteration, you can step into the shoes of iconic villains like Darth Vader, General Grievous, and Boba Fett, each with their own sinister objectives and unique abilities. The game revolves around two main decks: the Villain Deck and the Fate Deck. The Villain Deck is your arsenal, filled with cards that help you advance your dark plans, while the Fate Deck introduces challenges and heroes that can thwart your progress.

What sets the Star Wars version apart are the new mechanics such as Ambition and Vehicles. Ambition tokens are a crucial resource, representing your character’s power and influence, and are used to play powerful cards and activate abilities. Vehicles, another exciting addition, offer new actions and strategic opportunities, adding depth to the gameplay. With its rich narrative and immersive mechanics, Star Wars Villainous is a must-have for any fan of the franchise, offering a unique blend of strategy and Star Wars lore.

Game Set-Up: Villain Deck

Firstly, players select which villain they’ll be playing as. There are five from different entries in the Star Wars universe to choose from: Darth Vader, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Moff Gideon and Kylo Ren. Each iconic villain comes with their own unique components including their sector, where most of the action takes place, a villain deck, fate deck, villain guide, reference card, and of course their token representing them. Darth Maul is also expected in potential future expansions.

The sector is made up of several sections and locations, including deep space, a new type of area that players can engage with during gameplay. The token goes on the far left of the sector on their picture, with the villain and fate decks being placed next to it. Each player draws four cards from their villain deck to serve as their starting hand and once turn order is decided each player gets a relevant number of credits. Interestingly, everyone declares their characters objective at the top of the game and with their mission clear the game can begin.

How To Play: Fate Cards

The goal of the game is for players to achieve their villain’s objective first. Throughout the game players will navigate obstacles between them and their objective whilst putting their own in the way of their opponents, as well as try to manipulate events in their favour.

Each turn starts with players gaining one ambition token. These represent a characters power, strength, leadership, or luck and are used to either play certain cards or activate a cards ability. After this, players move their token to one of the locations on their sector, they cannot stay in the same location from turn to turn. Each location has symbols representing the actions they can take and whilst the actions are optional, they can be performed once for each time the symbol appears and in any order.

There are many actions a player may be able to take on their turn but the ones that impact gameplay the most are playing cards and activating abilities. To play cards, players must use either credits (which they can collect from certain locations on their sector) or with ambition. Fate actions are crucial interactions that can impact a player’s strategy, particularly when defending against opponents like General Grievous and Kylo Ren, who rely on their opponents activating these actions to progress towards victory.

A players villain deck contains cards that will benefit and aid them in their journey towards achieving their objectives. Ally cards can be used to combat and vanquish heroes that are getting in the way, items an be attached to allies to boost their abilities, effects are one time abilities that can have multiple steps and have a huge impact on gameplay, conditions are played during an opponents turn and work similarly to effects, and vehicle cards are placed on the far right of the board and offers new actions for players to perform as well as new abilities that can be triggered. Some decks contain mission cards which will grant the player ambition as a reward for completing the steps and will likewise go towards the player completing their overall objective.

Fate cards serve to delay other players from completing their mission. They contain similar types of cards to the villain deck like items and effects, but they also contain hero cards. Hero cards can be played on locations to prevent any actions from being taken by the player there. Multiple heroes can be placed at the same location and will stay there until vanquished by a villains allies.

After a player has performed the actions at their location, if they played any cards that turn they end their turn by drawing cards so their hand size is increased to four.

Each player takes turns in a similar fashion until one player completes their objective. This can take some time especially with the maximum number of players as there is a surprising amount of strategy to the game. Although the rules are simple and the game doesn’t take long to learn, Villainous involves a delicate balance of utilising both decks. Players must choose carefully between the villain and fate decks when taking their actions and decide when it’s best to help themselves or hinder their foes. Mitigating the damage a player tries to deal whilst trying to prevent them from completing their objective can prove trick, but it’s this that makes the game much more challenging and deep than it looks on the surface.

Iconic ships and transports are incorporated as a gameplay element, enhancing the theme and strategic depth of the game.

Summary

• Quick set-up time

• Straight forward rules

• Great looking components and artwork

• Good level of strategy without being overly complicated

• Great for Star Wars fans

Villain Deck Strategies

Mastering the Villain Deck is essential for achieving victory in Star Wars Villainous. Each villain’s deck is tailored to their unique strengths and objectives, and understanding how to leverage these cards can make all the difference. Here are some strategies to help you build and play a formidable Villain Deck:

• Focus on Ambition: Ambition is the lifeblood of your strategy. Prioritize cards that generate Ambition, as this resource is vital for playing powerful cards and activating key abilities. The more Ambition you have, the more options you’ll have at your disposal.

• Use Fate Cards Wisely: Fate Cards are a double-edged sword. While they can be used to disrupt your opponents’ plans, they can also provide opportunities to advance your own. Look for moments when playing a Fate Card can create a significant setback for your rivals, giving you the upper hand.

• Build a Balanced Deck: A well-rounded deck is crucial. Ensure you have a mix of cards that generate Ambition, allow you to play additional cards, and enable you to take various actions. This balance will give you the flexibility to adapt to different situations and opponents.

• Pay Attention to Your Opponents: Keep a close eye on your opponents’ strategies and decks. Understanding their moves can help you anticipate their actions and counter them effectively. This awareness can be the key to staying one step ahead.

• Use Your Villain’s Abilities: Each villain in Star Wars Villainous has unique abilities that can turn the tide of the game. Make sure to utilize these abilities to their fullest potential, and build your deck to complement and enhance these strengths.

By following these strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the treacherous path to victory in Star Wars Villainous. Whether you’re harnessing the power of Ambition, strategically deploying Fate Cards, or leveraging your villain’s unique abilities, a strong Villain Deck is your ticket to dominating the galaxy.

Final Verdict

Star Wars Villainous is a fun romp through the titular universe that combines simple rules with surprising depth and good looking components. It take the Villainous ruleset and what makes it so fun, and adds a few twists to make it unique to the Star Wars series. The game offers plenty for everyone but should prove especially popular for fans of the franchise and those that enjoy family or casual games. There’s plenty of fan service to be found with many familiar faces making an appearance in one way, shape, or form.

Who Should Buy This Game? Darth Vader Fans

We think you should buy this game if:

You’re a Star Wars fan: Kind of a given, but anyone that’s a fan of the franchise will enjoy the simple, fun, and entertaining game.

You like playing as anti-heroes and villains: Villainous games flip the script and put players in the shoes of the antagonist, so if you like being a rebel and breaking the rules this is one for you.

You enjoy family games: Villainous has appeal for all kinds of gamers and make for an enjoyable game to experience with family or friends.

The first game of Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side can be challenging due to the learning curve and adjustments needed when transitioning from the original Disney version.

You might not like this game if:

You’re not a fan of Star Wars: Whilst the game doesn’t feature terminology or locations that isolate non-fans, the theme may not appeal to everyone, especially those that aren’t sci-fi fans.

You want a game you can play for hours:  Though it’s not a short game, Villainous will probably take somewhere around 45 minutes on average to set-up, play, and pack away. If you’re looking for something a bit meatier there are other Star Wars games out there with more robust gameplay.

Also Read: Top 5 Star Wars Board Games

FAQ: Star Wars Villainous