Gameplay tips on fleets, assaults and the Death Star summarizes the parts of the official "Rebellion - Gameplay Tips" web page that cover fleet movement, planetary assaults, blockades, the Death Star and the tactical battle screen in Star Wars: Rebellion. See LucasArts Rebellion website (2004 archive) for the site the page came from.

Fleets that will not respond

For a fleet that cannot be used, the page lists three things to check: whether it is still in hyperspace, whether any of its ships are still under construction, and whether any ship has a disabled hyperdrive, shown by a red X in the fleet window.

Further notes on fleets:

• A fleet arrives as fast as its slowest ship.
• Ships and fighter squadrons repair themselves over time, faster at a system with a friendly shipyard.
• If more troops or fighters are moved to a fleet than it has room for, none of them board, so the amount moved must match the room available or be smaller.

When an assault cannot start

For a blockaded planet that cannot be assaulted, the page asks:

• Is the planet one the player owns? A player cannot assault their own planets.
• Are troops aboard the fleet, and have the ships carrying them actually arrived?
• Does the planet have two shields? Two shields make it completely shielded, and at least one must be sabotaged or bombarded before an assault.
• Does the planet hold many troops, or a General? The page says a General and his troops may be stronger than the attackers and can stop a takeover; Espionage missions reveal whether one is present, and the attacker should bring a General of their own.

Blockades

The page notes that the Agent's message about a blockade may arrive only after the planet has been taken, because messages take time to reach the player. A blockade is a short step in the assault or bombardment process, and undefended planets fall very quickly. When an enemy blockades a planet, dragging the system defenses icon to evacuate it produces no warning, unlike dragging individual characters or fighters. A fleet that is big enough prevents the Alliance headquarters from being moved while it is blockaded. See also Planetary blockade.

Building a Death Star

For the Empire, the page lists four considerations before building a Death Star:

• It costs many maintenance points, so it is unwise to start with one.
• It takes a long time to build; several shipyards on one planet, advanced ones preferably, speed this up.
• It is very vulnerable to fighter attack. To defend a planet, the page suggests waiting until a Death Star Shield can be built; in an attack fleet, enough fighters should accompany it.
• Taking it to a system that has no Hyperdrive fighters to protect it lets the Alliance start at least one Death Star attack mission, according to the page.

Fighters

Each fighter image is a whole squadron, twelve fighters strong, and a damaged picture means some of the fighters were lost. A squadron is repaired when it stays at a planet with a shipyard. The encyclopedia lists statistics for a single fighter. See Starfighters.

Tactical battles

• Simulate or play. Simulating a battle is quicker but often costs more. After a simulated battle the opponent is guaranteed at least one chance to attack if the player withdraws. When the battle is played out instead, the enemy's chances to attack during a withdrawal depend on the speed of its ships and the distance to the next system.
• Withdrawal. Leaving takes longer the farther the battle planet is from the nearest friendly planet.
• Death Star. In a tactical battle with a Death Star, withdrawing the Imperial fleet takes much longer because of its gravity. The Imperial player cannot pull the Death Star out before the Alliance has a chance to complete a Death Star attack run mission. However many fighter groups are present, only one at a time can attack the Death Star.
• Fighter status. Fighters cannot be clicked to check their status during a tactical battle.
• Death Star controls. When the Empire brings a Death Star into battle, a control appears above the tactical control panel. It has a picture of the Death Star, a charge indicator for the laser and a fire button. To destroy a ship, the player clicks the fire button, then right-clicks the target; the laser fires when the game is not paused. It must recharge fully before firing again. A left click anywhere in the battle display cancels the control. Fighters and the planet cannot be targeted.