Star Wars: Legion – Imperial High Command Rules Previews
The Imperial High Command is coming with some top tier (and infamous) Galactic Empire leaders for Star Wars: Legion.
Thrawn. Tarkin. Krennic. Those are names that most Star Wars fans can hear and instantly picture them. General Tagge, maybe less so. But if a Star Wars fans saw his picture they’d probably go “oh, THAT guy!” Well, all four of those characters are coming to Star Wars: Legion and they are opening up a swathe of new ways to unleash the fury of the Galactic Empire.
Grand Moff Tarkin
All image are from Atomic Mass Games and you can read their full breakdown here.
Kicking things off we’ve got Grand Moff Tarkin. One of the few people in Star Wars that could speak to Vader that way and not get Force Choked. Anyhow, looking at this stats he’s not exactly a combat master. So…why is he 95 points? Because Tarkin brings the goods in other departments.
Tarkin has the Strings keyword. This lets him grant any Galactic Empire Trooper unit a free action. That’s plenty potent. He’s also bringing Vader along as part of this Entourage. If you’re looking for someone to bring the beat down, Vader is a pretty strong option. However, his two unique Command Cards above are really why you’re taking him. Learning when and how to use them is what takes Tarkin from “interesting” to “deadly” on the tabletop.
Director Orson Krennic
Director Krennic is a bit flashier than the others. He’s got a sense of dramatic flair about him. He’s also a tad more hands on. Packing a few other abilities comparatively. He’s not new but he does have a new sculpt coming in the box. But besides that, he’s also got his Entourage of Imperial Death Troopers. And don’t discount that Compel ability either!
Like Tarkin, he’s also got his own unique Command Cards. You can see them above. Personally, I really like Annihilation Looms for when you really need to shut the enemy down more-so than your own units. Again, that Compel ability works really well for Krennic’s crew.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
Grand Admiral Thrawn is finally coming to Star Wars: Legion. This fan favorite character is a tactical mastermind and strategic genius. That’s really reflected in his abilities. He’s bringing a ton of utility to the board and it’s up to the players to know how to use it. Also, don’t underestimate him up close 4 red dice on his Chiss Martial Arts and Duelist might not be Jedi Knight-level but he can certainly hold his own.
Thrawn also has his own unique batch of Command Cards and they are each kind of nuts. We Must Wait and Watch allows you to make three allied Galactic Empire units Reinforcements for the game. Or you can use to quickly reposition an allied unit. Again, he’s got an impressive bag of tricks. Thrawn is going to be one of those leaders that really rewards tactical mastery of your army.
General Tagge
Finally we have General Tagge. He’s kind of a weird one as he’s really playing the “Token manipulation game.” He’s well known for his logistical abilities and this leans into that quite a bit. You’ll be able to create, bank, and spend tokens using his tool set. The real trick here is knowing how to manage that cycle. Tagge really looks good for players who have a plan but can adapt it based on what tokens they have available.
His Command Cards also lean into that playstyle. I Have Graphs AND The Command allows him to really get where you need him and then dump those tokens on the units that can best benefit. On the flip side, Canny Adversary allows him to “copy” spent enemy tokens as well. It’s an interesting way to punish the enemy for using their own resources.
Overall, the Imperial High Command is looking like a great set of options for the Galactic Empire. Each one brings something unique and different to the board. Pick the playstyle you like and run with the leader that fits.
Imperial High Command is out for pre-order right now and has a release date of April 3, 2026.
Star Wars: Legion – Imperial High Command $69.99
Imperial High Command may be the mind behind the Imperial Army, but each commander has their own approach to commanding their troops. From strategic deployment and R&D to sabotage and pure might, commanders of the Imperial Army may not agree on their methods, but they all want to end any rebellion.
This expansion adds 4 new Commander options for players when building their Galactic Empire Army.
