Who goes first in Star Wars: Imperial Assault?
FFG English core game

In campaign play, the Rebels choose one of their figures to activate first. In a skirmish, the player whose army has the lower total Deployment cost chooses who starts with initiative; that player activates first.
Official tie-break or fallback
In a skirmish with equal total Deployment costs, determine initiative randomly.
Rule details
Campaign play alternates a Rebel figure’s activation with an Imperial group’s activation.
In a skirmish, players alternate activating deployment groups. Pass initiative to the opponent at the end of the round.
Source & edition
- Star Wars: Imperial Assault: English rulebookFantasy Flight Games · Learn to Play: Playing a mission; Activating a figure; Playing campaign missions · Checked 2026-09-26Printed page references: 4, 5, 11
- Star Wars: Imperial Assault: English Skirmish GuideFantasy Flight Games · Skirmish setup: Determine initiative; Playing a skirmish · Checked 2026-09-26Printed page references: 4
Image: © Lucasfilm Ltd. (Star Wars art and marks); Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. (game packaging) · Fantasy Flight Games
If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.
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