This two-player introductory experience is the perfect entry point into the game, no matter how much experience you have with other trading card games. Everything in the box is carefully curated to ensure that your first game goes as smoothly as possible, all so you and a friend can focus on learning the rules and having fun while doing so.
As you may expect from the name, the theme of this Intro Battle is the iconic Battle of Hoth, where the entrenched Rebel forces fight to defend Echo Base from the invading Imperials. When you first open the box, you'll choose which leader you want to play as: Leia Organa (Intro Battle: Hoth, 1) or Darth Vader (Intro Battle: Hoth, 53).
Each leader comes with a fully pre-built deck of 50 cards, representing the characters, creatures, speeders, and starfighters of the Battle of Hoth and its preceding events. In Leia's deck, you'll find familiar faces like Chewbacca (Intro Battle: Hoth, 3), Han Solo (Intro Battle: Hoth, 10), R2-D2 (Intro Battle: Hoth, 11), and Luke Skywalker (Intro Battle: Hoth, 20), while Vader's deck boasts familiar forces such as the Ground Assault AT-AT (Intro Battle: Hoth, 56), Snowtrooper Vanguard (Intro Battle: Hoth, 57), and Scouting TIE Fighter (Intro Battle: Hoth, 81).
In addition to being pre-built, each deck is also ordered in a specific way to help you learn how to play the game. When you first start out, you won't shuffle these decks; instead, you and your opponent follow along with a video tutorial created specifically for this Intro Battle, which you can access via either a URL or a QR code printed in the rulebook. This video walks you through the first few turns of your introductory game before setting you loose to make your own tactical decisions. For example, while setting up the game, the Leia player will be instructed to place I'll Cover For You (Intro Battle: Hoth, 5) and Trench Defender (Intro Battle: Hoth, 8) as resources, leaving them with Chewbacca, a Rogue Squadron Speeder (Intro Battle: Hoth, 4), a Rebellion Y-Wing (Intro Battle: Hoth, 6), and an Echo Coordinator (Intro Battle: Hoth, 7) in their hand. Meanwhile, the Vader player is instructed to place the Ground Assault AT-AT and Target the Main Generator (Intro Battle: Hoth, 59) as resources, leaving them with a First Legion Trooper (Intro Battle: Hoth, 55), a Snowtrooper Vanguard, a Lambda Shuttle (Intro Battle: Hoth, 58), and Admiral Piett (Intro Battle: Hoth, 60) in their hand. From there, the video takes both of you through your first few actions, including which cards to play first, what you can do with those cards, and what strategies they open up.
Naturally, if you'd prefer to learn by reading the rulebook, you can do so that way as well! It contains everything you need to know about how to play the game, including handy reference pages that can help you keep track down common rules on the fly.
It's not just the decks that are designed to help you learn; even the game board is built for this purpose! Star Wars: Unlimited has a number of different play zones that see use throughout the game, most notably the ground arena, the space arena, and each player's resource area. The game board in Intro Battle: Hoth clearly lays out each of these zones for you, along with brief reminders to help you facilitate your game. (Even once you've learned how to play the game, you'll want to keep using the board just so you can enjoy the stunning Hoth-themed artwork!)
And there you have it! That's everything you need to know about Intro Battle: Hoth. With just this box, you can dive into the endless possibilities of Star Wars: Unlimited and learn the game in an unforgettable first battle. Good luck, and have fun!
