I have found, and I think it is a general consensus, that playing as the Imperials, while not harder, is MUCH less forgiving.  As Tract said, it is very easy for the Imp to get distracted and then quickly fall behind.  That being said, if the Imp stays focused and the Rebel plays their cards poorly, (or is incredibly unlucky with card draws), it can be an easy win for the Imps.  Generally speaking, if either said gets an easy win, the other side messed up.  The Rebs pick a bad planet for the first base, the imps get side tracked by an SSD, (oooo shiny), bad card play, even poor resource allocation.  This game is pretty well balanced and if both players make few mistakes, it should be close to the end.  
 
And yes, Playing the mobilization card leaves all units at the old location.  This makes it a balanced card instead of an unbeatable card.  You move your base, if the Imps have done their job right, there should only be one or two viable planets to go to.  Imps should be close to said planets, you mobilize, next turn they have boots on the ground and win.  Of course, being a balanced game, there are counters to this

Hi all,
 
Even though I have had this game since release, and have played it about 15 times, I still cannot get enough.
 
This is a huge thank you thread to FF for making what has become my favorite board game I have ever owned!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I love everything about this game down to the smallest details. I always leave each game with interesting scenarios to talk about.
 
Now if I could only convince my wife to play more. She gets upset at times when I make really sneaky moves that screw her over! Whats an Imperial to do???
 
Thanks again FF for producing this MASTERPIECE!!!! 

Sounds like a loophole.  However, it does sound like a legitimate one.  Nice catch

I'd say 3 to 4 hours.

It's my understanding that you'd need them to be on the board, because the Leader pool is not a system, nor is it considered the Rebel Base space. 
 
You can do a real neat combo with that card though: You can move your big Rebel fleet with Lando, then when your opponent attempts a mission you can use Undercover to move Lando there (I think you can even add another leader from your pool, meaning lots of resistance!), and then you can move your fleet again because it's no longer pinned! I surprised an unprepared Imperial fleet that way the other day. Very satisfying.

I find this game is actually won or lost mostly in the first two rounds.  Getting off on the right foot is the difference between disaster and an organized plan.  This game moves quicker than most new players realize.  There is no time to play catch up.
 
THE EMPIRE:
How the Empire places its fleet is important.  To get the most out of the military advantage the Imperial Navy enjoys, create two strong fleets.  (Only leave 1 or 2 ground units on the other three planets.)  Put them on opposite sides of the board and pick an initial direction both will begin searching in.  For the fleet that is centered around a Death Star, pick its first target and place the battle station in the planet closest to it. (No more than two spaces away.  You want to be firing the Super laser by Round 3 or 4.)
 
The trap that I see most Imperial players fall into is playing defensively in the opening rounds.  With only four leaders, the Rebels are only annoying gnats at this stage.  Play the opening two rounds as if the Rebels cannot hurt you.  You need to accomplish two things: 1) Amass a third search/assault force and 2) Gain valuable projects like Superlaser Online.  
 
In the opening round, grab as many 1 and 2 build queue planets as possible.  Devote 2 or 3 leaders to subjecting two planets (possibly one to use diplomacy to change from subjugated to loyal) and 1 leader for Research and Development.  Let the Rebels sabotage one of your planets (just don't let them sabotage 3 or more), as it is more important for you to play this card to draw 2 project cards.  You need to find 1 of those Superlaser Online projects, then worry about fixing the sabotage. 
 
Following this strategy will accomplish the two goals of this strategy guide.  By Round 3 or 4 you should be blowing up a planet and be well on your way with a third fleet at your command.  There will be no where for the Rebels to hide!
 
 
​Rebel Alliance
The most common error I see most Rebel players make is attempting to spar with the Empire on their terms.  The Rebels have NO CHANCE of winning this game via military might.  You must use espionage and hit and run tactics.  The fun (and complicated) part about playing the Rebels is no two games will afford you the same route to victory.  Remind yourself that time is on your side and your goal is to prolong the Empire, not win a war.
 
There are two goals the Rebels should be working on in the first two rounds.  (1) Quick build up of an objective based (more on this in a moment) force and (2) gaining the Mission Cards you need to earn victory points.  Accomplishing these goals will cause the Rebel marker to move quickly by round 4.
 
Set up is more complicated for the Rebels as well.  If you get a powerful planet like Mon Calamari as one of your starter locations, you'll want to protect it the first two rounds.  If you start on three planets that do not produce Ion Cannons, Shield Generators, or Cruisers, then you will want to find a way to gain one before the end of Round 1.  Start off small in the Rebel base.  3 troops and an Airspeeder is my go-to starting base force.
 
Round 1 is VERY important for the Rebels.  Gain loyalty in a planet or two (depending on need) to place units in the build queue.  These are the units that you will need in Rounds 3 - 5!  Infiltration is a must play in Round 1 (and probably 2 unless you gain a better mission card)!  You need to get to the better Objective cards quickly!  In the first 3 rounds, draw objective cards via missions and bring the ones you feel you can complete in a round or 2 to the top.  
 
By the 3rd round, you should have a clear idea of how to score points and how to hold off the Empire.  Ending the game by Round 7 or 8 is a good goal to have.  You need to earn 6 or 7 points to achieve this.  By round 4, you should be earning a few points a round.
 
In the first 2 rounds, while half of your leaders are working through your Objective deck, the other half should be gaining loyalty in planets with resources you'll need later in the game.  If you're drawing Hit and Run type cards that need troops, concentrate on ground forces.  If the Empire spreads itself too thin and you have cards that reward you for destroying ships (or the Death Star) then concentrate on building star fighters.
 
The final part of playing the Rebels successfully is being good at deception.  Lure the Empire away from areas you don't want them to be.  Use missions like Sabotage to force them to use leaders to stop you.  Create a fleet just to engage the Empire in a meaningless fight.  Remember, you don't need to keep planets, you just need them when it's time to build.  You don't need to keep a grand army or navy.  Their purpose is to complete objectives or to stall the Empire.  Remember, many Bothans (and Y-wings, and troopers...) will die in order for you to gain sympathy in the galaxy.  
 
Final Thoughts
Because the Objective, Mission, and Project cards dictate so much of what your later game strategy should be, it is hard to give advice on what a player should be doing in rounds 3 on.  This is why the first two rounds are so important!  Be sure to do everything you can early on to put your forces in a good position to utilize the cards you gain in these rounds.  Rather than leaving it to chance, use the starting cards to help you shift through the decks and find the cards that most compliment the state of the board and your resources.

As others have mentioned the game seems to be more forgiving to the Rebel player since they have different avenues to victory -even after a setback- and as a last resort can move the base. The restricted movement forces the Empire to be cognizant of distributing forces in the event they find the base so that they are not out of position to deliver a knockout blow.
 
Given the number of missions the Empire has that require captured leaders it's in the player's best interest to be active in this regard. Between carbon freezing and Lure of the Dark Side to swing the reputation marker (Empire needed one more these in my opinion), the missions that can help pinpoint the base and just as vitally reveal the Rebel hand of objective cards. Vader can do this early on until you get Fett or some two spec-ops characters. Plus you can prevent the No One Left Behind objective.

I would say you can only play with the 89 listed in the reference book.

Subtraction is done before applying the die cap, just like with ion cannons.

My favorite part is "In addition, our super fans have found some rare and strange situations that are not directly covered in the rule books." (Cough. 2 ion cannons, death star and x-wing?)

I'm a little shocked that there doesn't seem to be a thread about this yet, but FFG posted a FAQ for rebellion today
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/7/1/what-of-the-rebellion/
I haven't read it yet, just noticed it was announced, but figured people would want to know.

Hello Lewis,
  Abilities that "place units on the build queue" are unaffected by sabotage.   From your list below, Oversee Project is the only card that uses the term “Deploy,” and therefore cannot be used in a subjugated system. All other cards on your list can be used in a sabotaged system.
I hope this answers your question! - Corey Konieczka VP of Research & Design
Fantasy Flight Games

Yes it counts for opposing leaders as well, including the captured leader you are trying to corrupt. 

Yep, Corey replied to my question as well, with the same answer.  Thanks for asking, and for adding it to the Official Rules Responses thread!

Hello Lewis,
  Abilities that "place units on the build queue" are unaffected by sabotage.   From your list below, Oversee Project is the only card that uses the term “Deploy,” and therefore cannot be used in a subjugated system. All other cards on your list can be used in a sabotaged system.
I hope this answers your question! - Corey Konieczka VP of Research & Design
Fantasy Flight Games

Turn 1 Imperial win. Put the Deathstar into Tatooine with a At-St and 3 troopers. Happened to be the base, with 3 rebel troopers and speeder. He had no Leaders to fight with, and I got just enough block damage to keep the ATST alive long enough to finish the base off.

You are right on everything but this.
 
RR page 4:
Combat steps:
1.  Add Leader
2.  Draw Tactic Cards "Each player draws space tactic cards according to his leader’s space tactic value and ground tactic cards according to on his leader’s ground tactic value."
3.  Combat Round

You are right on the first question. 
 
Space Tactic cards are drawn at the beginning of the first round of space combat.
Ground Tactic cards are drawn at the beginning of the first round of ground combat.
 
If there is no combat on the ground, no ground tactics are drawn. 
 
No tactics cards can be kept after combat ends. New combat means new cards. 
 
Imperial project cards do count against hand limit. Objective cards do not. 
 
You are right on the final question. 
 
Have fun!

You can only build and deploy what you have miniatures for. You MAY NOT proxy miniatures. (Page 6 Rules Reference) 
 
COMPONENT LIMITATIONS
If players run out of a component type during the game, they should
obey the following rules:
Dice: Each player can roll a maximum of five black dice and
five red dice in each mission or attack.
Markers and Rings: Leaders and attachment rings are limited
to those included in the game.
All other markers are not limited. If players run out of a marker
type, use a suitable substitute, such as a coin.
Units: Units are limited to those included in the game. A player
cannot build a unit type if there are none available.
During step 5 of the Refresh Phase, a player can destroy any
of his units that are on the game board and return them to
the supply.
Cards: When a deck becomes depleted, shuffle the deck’s
discard pile and place it facedown to create a new deck.

Hello Lewis,
  See my answers below.   Thanks for playing!
- Corey Konieczka VP of Research & Design
Fantasy Flight Games

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On Jun 19, 2016, at 8:04 AM, Fantasy Flight Games Automated Reporting < no-reply@fantasyflightgames.com> wrote:
Message from:
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Rules Question:
Hi Team Couple of Questions regarding Star Wars Rebellion. 1. Sabotage a-Does this prevent the construction of a Super Star Destroyer in the system? b- Does it stop the card "Demolition" being used in that system? c- Does it stop the "Support of Mon Calamari" from building a Cruiser.
If an ability doesn’t use the word “Build” or “Deploy” then it is unaffected by Sabotage Markers. For example you can use "Build Super Star Destroyer”, “Demolition”, and “Support of Mon Calamari" in a sabotaged system.

2. Rescuing a Captured leader a- "It is your Destiny" Action Card. When a rescue is attempted and other rebel heroes are in the system, they all contribute to the mission if they have the right skills, are all heros in the system valid for capture by Vader or is it just the one or two who where placed on the card or is it just those who had the skill icons and so contributed. b- If other leaders assist in the system are they able to move to the rebel base or is it just the one or two who where placed on the card?
a. Only leaders that were assigned to the mission can be targeted by It is your Destiny. b. Only leaders that were assigned to the mission can return to the Rebel base along with the rescued leader.

3. "More Dangerous than you realise" Action Card. Are these cards drawn in addition to his normal cards?
Yes, these cards are in addition to the cards you normally draw.

4. "Lure of the Darkside" and "Leave No One Behind" Does the turned rebel leader count as captured for the purpose of this objective card?
No. This is no longer a captured leader.

5."Return of the Jedi" a- If a turned Luke Skywalker (Jedi) is in the system can the rebel player still eliminate a leader? b- if yes can that leader be Luke?
a. Yes. b. Yes.

6. "One in a Million" a- Does this have to be a mission Luke/wedge were assigned too, or can it be one they are participating in as being in the system/opposing? b- if yes to participating/opposing can it be used even if they have none of the relevant skill icons for the mission being played but the rebel player has dice from other heros in the system. Thanks team and hope my questions are clear Lewis a. Luke or Wedge simply needs to be in the system. They do not have to be assigned to the mission.
b. They can use this card even if they don’t have any matching skill icons.   Some of these we were sure of anyway but I was emailing so I thought I'd throw them in.   I have gone back to the lovely Corey for clarification on her first response as to the words "build" and "deploy" as the Construct SSD says "Place an SSD on space 3 of the build queue" which is the same text as all the other cards that put units on the build queue, "Place units on the build queue using this systems resources icons and number" so as none of the missions or abilities say "Build units...." none of them would seem to apply so what was the purpose of the rule if it doesn't apply to anything. Will post her response

Last I checked all logistics missions are "Resolve" so no. Only missions that say "Attempt" can be opposed.

As awesome as the idea of killing a leader with Vader is, I'm not sure it would be balanced, as let's face it your going to use it straight away to kill General Tagge. He's a starting Leader so his poor stats are probably there to balance out the starting Vader and Palpatine.

We have played 7 games and 5 have been a case of either the empire find the base this turn or the rebels win. 1 was quick imperial victory like turn 6 and that was luck and the other was 1 turn between markers. So all our games have been very close calls

I played a team game yesterday. I think it works well.
 
On the down side I think it adds more time to the game and it's a little awkward to talk through strategy with the other team there. You end up pointing at cards and things a lot trying to get silent consensus.
 
Rules wise really the only difference is you have to give some thought to order of play and give more consideration to the balance of your leader types. We had to pass on a good general because we already had too many general leaders.
 
Strategy wise one person on your side can pass and not affect the other's ability to go on missions and activate systems.
 
On the plus side I played a Star Wars game with three friends instead of one. Dividing up combat is more fun and less tedious.