A garrison is the standing military presence on a system in Star Wars: Rebellion, made up of the troops stationed on its surface. Troops that occupy a planet can defend it against attack and help keep a system on their side even when local popular support is weak.

Role

Stationing troops on a system sets up a garrison, which gives the side ready use of that system's resources and a means of defending it. When an opponent stages a planetary assault, the garrison fights the landing troops. The manual names how many regiments each side has, how highly rated the commanding general is for leadership, and how the troops compare in strength and defenses. It notes that stormtroopers are stronger than Alliance Army Regiments. A character with the General command rank can be put in charge of the regiments on a system.

Typical garrison troops early in a game are the Alliance Army Regiment and Alliance Fleet Regiment for the Alliance, and the Imperial Army Regiment and Stormtrooper Regiment for the Empire. Special forces do not count toward a system's garrison requirement.

Garrison requirements

A system the player controls but that does not strongly support that side may carry a garrison requirement. This is the smallest number of troops that must stay on the system to avoid an uprising. A requirement of two, for example, means at least two regiments are needed. The figure appears in the System Defenses window, on the tab for trooper regiments.

A shortfall can send the system into uprising, and the manual states that the requirement is doubled for as long as the uprising lasts. The manual also warns that taking troops away from a system with weak loyalty can start an uprising or push the system into neutrality.

• A system taken by force tends to have a high requirement. The manual says regiments for this purpose can be found among troops already on the invading fleet or brought from other systems. In the Empire tutorial, the manual says Fleet Regiments fill the need just as easily as stormtroopers and can be built rather quickly.
• A successful Diplomacy mission raises popular support and so lowers the requirement.
• A newly colonized, unpopulated system shows a requirement of zero, but a regiment must stay until the first facility arrives and makes the system fully loyal.
• Changes in a system's requirement are reported among the loyalty messages.

The Manage Garrisons option

The agent droid's Manage Garrisons option can be switched on to have the droid try to keep requirements met. It builds troops for systems in uprising first, then garrisons every controlled system with a minimum of one regiment, adding more where needed. It tries to defend systems with manufacturing facilities more strongly. It does not remove surplus troops, and it works by building new troops rather than moving existing ones. A training facility marked Reserved is not used for this function.