Disclosure: Meeple Mountain received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This review is not intended to be an endorsement.
Since the release of Battle Cry in 1999, Richard Borg’s Command and Colors system has been used to create a streamlined and approachable series of wargames covering different themes and conflicts. While my own personal favorite in the series is GMT Games’ more complex Command and Colors: Napoleonics, the one I have played the most is the far-more accessible Memoir ’44 from Days of Wonder. When it was announced that the publisher would be releasing a Star Wars version of Memoir ’44 called Battle of Hoth, I was very excited, though a bit apprehensive that this might just be a re-skinned cash-in on the Star Wars IP.
I Find your Lack of Faith Disturbing
Battle of Hoth doesn’t change a lot, in terms of game mechanics, from Memoir ’44, and that’s a good thing. The Command and Colors system has, at this point, been perfected and the biggest differences in each title are, generally, the theme and the levels of complexity in terms of how units operate. Battle of Hoth functions almost identically to Memoir in terms of complexity, so I won’t get too deep into gameplay details, which we covered in our review of Memoir ’44. As such, what does Battle of Hoth bring to the table that other games in the series don’t? Why get this over Memoir ’44? That’s a little trickier.
The fact that the game is set within the Star Wars universe (as opposed to World War II) may be enough for some to choose one over the other but there are a few additions that make Battle of Hoth stand out from Memoir ’44, and I would say it’s a mixed bag. First off, are the leader cards. There are 3 sets of 3 cards for both the Rebel and Empire sides, featuring well-known Star Wars characters, and you can optionally add one set of these (more powerful) cards to each command deck. My issue is that these cards are similar (if not identical) to cards in Memoir ’44 that are already in the standard command deck. There is no reason not to play with them. It honestly felt a little cheap, like they simply needed a way to add Han Solo and Darth Vader to the game.
A much more substantial addition comes in the form of Campaign mode, which is great for those who want more than a quick, 30-45-minute battle. With just a few simple tweaks to the rules and winning conditions, each of the two campaigns allows you to jump around the scenario book to compete in a larger story, and makes it feel much more like a war game. I thought this was an excellent way to get the most out of the game by allowing you to explore a narrative rather than just randomly selecting a different scenario after finishing another.
A Fully Armed and Operational Battle Station
Even though it’s mostly cosmetic, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the upgrade in production value. Compared to Memoir ’44, Battle of Hoth just looks and feels so much better while playing. The miniatures are more detailed and have a great presence on the table. Plus, you get to play with AT-AT walkers and Snow Speeders instead of generic tanks and artillery units. Come on? It’s fantastic.
Another small but significant upgrade is the box insert and, specifically, the container for the miniatures. This was by far the most frustrating element of playing Memoir ’44, which used a thin, amorphous plastic blob to hold all its minis and was nearly impossible to close without wanting to tear your hair out. Battle of Hoth, by contrast, contains two sleek little boxes with lids (one for each side) that perfectly house all the miniatures. I should note that a new version of Memoir ’44 (dubbed “Refresh”) was just released recently, which I have not seen but which promises a “redesigned plastic tray”, so clearly Days of Wonder realized this was an issue.
I Will Not Give Up My Favorite Decoration.
If you’ve never played Memoir ’44 or any other Command and Colors game, that’s a shame—you really should have by this point. All joking aside, Battle of Hoth is an easy recommendation for anyone who wants to try the system. There really are few skirmish-style wargames that are easier to get to the table, with rules you can pick up quickly, but that still contain a good amount of strategy. This game, in particular, is a perfect entry point for the system, given the accessibility and Star Wars theme.
If, like myself, you are already very familiar with these games, the decision to invest in yet another version becomes a bit trickier. There are enough small changes to the scenarios and units (in addition to a campaign mode) to justify it, I suppose. Twenty years since its initial release, however, Memoir ’44 just has so many expansions, maps, and add-ons that the impact of Battle of Hoth feels less consequential and more like a re-theme, albeit a really fun and gorgeous one. Here’s hoping Days of Wonder supports Battle of Hoth with additional content in the coming years like they have for Memoir ‘44.
Star Wars: Battle of Hoth details
- Designer: Adrien Martinot, Richard Borg
- Artists: Ben Carre, Christophe Duhaze, Clément Masson, Tony Foti
- Publishers: Days of Wonder, Geekach LLC, MIPL
- Release Date: 2025
- Player count : 2 - 4
- Age range : 8+
- Time range : 30 minutes
- Mechanism(s): Area Majority / Influence, Campaign / Battle Card Driven, Command Cards, Dice Rolling, Die Icon Resolution, Grid Movement, Hand Management, Hexagon Grid, Line of Sight, Modular Board, Movement Points, Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game, Simulation, Team-Based Game, Variable Set-up
- BGG Geek Rating: 8.1024 - converted to Meeple Mountain scale: 4.0.
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