Get ready for a fast-paced strategy game that requires quick thinking and cooperation to escape to safety with one of your Resistance heroes before being taken down by the Star Destroyer’s laser blast. Kids loved the suspense generated by the randomly timed Finalizer, hurrying through their turns, so someone might change the position to save their hero. Our play group of 3 started teaming up 2 against one to eliminate an opponent’s hero when he came too close to winning. Players draw cards with instructions to advance their heroes or trip up their opponents, “You can do a nice thing, or a mean thing. White is for yourself and red is to destroy someone else,” my friend said with a giggle. And so the game goes as kids choose to play as Resistance or First Order, with options to Spin the Destroyer in a new random direction, set up the Deflector Shield to protect their hero, sending the laser to an enemy, or aim The Destroyer. Clearly the Star Destroyer is the “star” of this game. Kids LOVED manipulating it whenever their cards gave the opportunity. After I played this game several times with the kids, the adults observing remarked about all the hooting and hollering going on (fun exchange of language!) as players called out and negotiated shifts in strategy to protect their heroes, asking those whose turn it was for help. I was invited in, “Let’s be a team against him,” only to be the target of a deflection as I was nearing the winning safe spot. As the laser lit up an opponent’s hero kids yelled out, “Direct hit! Out of the game.” The fun factor was confirmed when kids kept asking, “Can we play again?” Thinking, negotiating, and strategizing transpired as my 9 year-old friend told told me he was going to make a drawing of possible Deflector angles so he could be more accurate! Fun that inspires learning is play at its best.
