Each card is illustrated with a character sketch and a scenario, such as “You find Stormtrooper outfits to disguise yourself,” or “Stormtroopers are closing in.” One devastating card (featured in the original commercial) reads “Trash Monster hauls you back to Trash Compactor,” implying that the Dianoga has tentacles that can reach from one end of the Death Star to the other. Some cards cause the player to go to the Detention Block (a jail element borrowed from Monopoly), move forward or back a few spaces, or jump to a specific labeled space. Many spaces on the board prompt the player to draw a Force Card, resulting in an action that can be good or bad. Both the different game phases mirroring the plot and the colorful, well-designed game board filled with movie stills really make the story come alive. The player who arrives first at the Rebel Base wins the game. After reaching the Millennium Falcon, the tokens move together towards the Rebel Base, dogfighting with TIE Fighters along the way. Starting in the Death Star’s trash compactor, each player must move two tokens (one for Luke and Leia, the other for Han and Chewbacca) around the board and complete two preliminary missions: shutting off the tractor beam and getting the Death Star blueprints (which presumably means meeting up with R2-D2 and C-3PO). The gameplay is quite simple, but skillfully combines many plot elements that were still fresh in kids’ minds. Kenner did manage to get a board game on the toy shelves in time, and, due to the lack of competing products, Santa brought the Star Wars: Escape From Death Star Game to every kid on my street. Unfortunately, Kenner couldn’t ramp up toy production fast enough (leading to a groundbreaking marketing maneuver: the Early Bird Certificate Package), so there were very few Star Wars-related items available for parents to put under the Christmas tree. Image Source: Board Game Geek/ Mikey Waltersĭuring the holiday season of 1977, kids were desperate for Star Wars toys.

Object Name: Star Wars: Escape from Death Star Game

Death star designer game