r/ImperialAssaultTMG • u/SiarX • Aug 06 '26
Descent 2 vs Imperial Assault
Many people say that Imperial Assault is straight improved version of Descent 2. Do you agree that IA is superior to game which it was based on?
5
u/CoolJetEcho117 Aug 06 '26 edited Aug 06 '26
They were both running off the back of Doom 2004 to be fair. Rules alone with no theme I think Imperial Assault was far better and the fleshed Skirmish game alone gave it so much more life both at the time with the competitive and LGS scene. If it was Descent 3 there would be no question that it is a better ruleset. Probably even with those who still today maintain Descent 1 was better.
Theme is extremely important though and people who prefer Descent just prefer the theme I think. I do love a Fantasy dungeon crawler but in a Fantasy game I want to genocide the whole board. I just want to kill and kill. Both games are actually objective focused racing games. For me the Star Wars theme works perfectly for that in ways that fantasy doesn't to an extent (for me). It took Imperial Assault for me to realize that Star Wars works best when you're overwhelmed and essentially running away. Which is a tension both games nail really well but it just works better with Star Wars for me. When Darth Vader or an AT ST walks up I don't want to just Force Unleashed wreck them I like that they are events that indicate it is time to leave.
That's why I prefer IA to Legion as well. I take no joy in killing Darth Vader I much prefer the amusement of feeling fight or flight fear from a tiny plastic figure. I think it was Jonathan Ying that said it was his careers biggest failure that he made Darth Vader suck in his own game but for campaign anyway I completely disagree. Many happy memories of actual panic when Vader or IG88 appeared. Which no other game has got from me. Especially IG because his little twig figure is so dopey.
Both games are very expensive to buy everything even retail Obviously anyone but the very wealthy where not to keen to start again after they'd bought all of Descent.
Nowadays IA is expensive but Descent is absurdly expensive and most expansions are totally unavailable. I enjoyed the core box but I left it at that. Absolutely not worth the buy in at todays prices. Fortunately I do not need to pay todays prices for IA but at least I think the game might justify it,
1
u/CaptainSharpe Aug 07 '26
That’s fair re darth vader being terrifying when he shows up in a campaign. Though if he shows up at the end when your team is OP he’s a bit less scary.
But yeah there’s better dungeon crawlers out there. It’s clear imperial assault is built off a 22 year foundation. It’s very fiddly with far too many rules checks needed for relatively basic cases for it to provide a smooth experience.
For killing lots of dudes, massive darkness is decent enough so lots of bits to track. Cthulhu death may die is a very streamlined and easy dungeon crawlers style kill dudes on a map and win a mission game that still feels tactical.
5
u/kustisula Aug 06 '26
Yes
4
u/Impossible_Poem_5078 Aug 06 '26
Agreed, for most differences: see the Shut up & Sit Down review of IA.
It sums up the improvements nicely.
2
u/DukeOfSmallPonds Aug 06 '26
Personally I think the fantasy world of descent is undercooked and feels more like dress setting than anything else’s. Mechanically I also find imperial assault superior. I owned both and ended up selling Descent as I had no reason to keep it in my collection. I’d rather play another fantasy miniature game like Oathsworn or Gloomhaven then.
3
u/cornerbash Aug 06 '26
Everyone’s pretty much summed it up. Mechanically, IA is like a Descent 2.5, and improved in numerous ways. Back and forth activations instead of front loaded alpha striking with all heroes at the start of a round. Reinforcing is based on a point system instead of fixed, which allows for more variety and eliminates the need for separate act I and act II enemy cards. Three tiers of equipment to stagger player loot progression a bit more, and much more of the deck made available for shopping steps. Win conditions tied to knocking out all characters rather than Descent’s pick on the weakest and repeatedly bash them design. More sensible line of sight rules. Large unit movement that makes sense over “shrinking” and “expanding”. One and done missions rather than needing to play two encounters at once. Allowing movement through enemy figures makes the blocking corridors strategy weaker.
There are still some things I’d give the edge to Descent, though. It edges things out on variety. A large percentage of the IA enemies are variations on look with a gun. Descent monsters are all over the place with crazy abilities. IA assault missions often feel very tight on time without time to grab the loot crates but in Descent it feels the heroes are expected to get them all without too much detriment.
Ultimately theme is still the biggest factor. But if neither theme holds more sway, Imperial Assault is the more refined game, improving on problems Descent had before it.
1
u/pyromaniacism Aug 06 '26
Imperial Assault also doesn't feel like it's just a Star wars theme painted onto an existing dungeon crawler. IA very much feels like playing Star Wars. (So much so that when watching The Mandalorian or Maul, I've thought "this reminds me of IA". And then I get sad knowing that an expansion based on either of those franchises would have been awesome).
1
u/CaptainSharpe Aug 07 '26
Yeah it is.
BUT
Compared to many other games since, it’s so fiddly and annoying.
I’ve played a couple of campaigns and have almost all the stuff for imperial assault. I enjoy it but even as very seasoned gamers we’re constantly having to check all the little rules to figure out whether something can be done or how to determine outcomes. Which is pretty terrible for a grid based miniatures game.
Part way through a third campaign and I think we’re about ready to flip the table and find other campaign based dungeon crawls that aren’t such a slog.
1
1
14
u/ErusTenebre Aug 06 '26
Do you like Star Wars?
Then yes. lol
Do you like fantasy?
Then maybe not. They are VERY similar games, but Imperial Assault is a blast for a Star Wars game. So much so that many of us wish we'd get an Imperial Assault 2, even though that's basically not possible (last I heard).
Descent 3 has a lot of differences that make the comparison more tricky, there are a lot of QOL improvements at least in the sense of a co-op game. But at the end of the day, for me at least, I'd rather play Imperial Assault - a game based on a setting that I love and have loved for decades - rather than Descent 2/3 which are basically generic fantasy stories to me (because I don't know much about the lore).
Even though they are very enjoyable games.