Rules & beginner guides
Gundam Assemble How to Play: Complete Beginner's Guide to Setup and Rules
Learn how to play Gundam Assemble with this step-by-step guide covering setup, timeline mechanics, combat, and squad building.
Gundam Assemble is Bandai’s competitive tabletop miniatures game that launched in October 2026, bringing mobile suits from across the entire Gundam franchise to a hex-gridded battlefield. If you’re wondering how to play Gundam Assemble, this guide walks through everything from initial setup to combat resolution, using the official rulebook and starter materials as your foundation.
Getting Started: What You Need to Play
Starter Set 01 gives you everything two players need for their first match at a $35 price point. The box includes six miniatures spanning multiple Gundam series: the RX-78-2 Gundam, Char’s Zaku, Wing Gundam Zero EW, Gundam Deathscythe, Gundam Vidar, and Barbatos Lupus Rex. Each miniature arrives unpainted and unassembled on runners, requiring you to snap or glue parts together before play.
Beyond the miniatures themselves, Starter Set 01 contains:
- Six matching unit cards
- 18 Tactics cards
- One game board with hex grid
- 10-sided attack dice
- Timeline tokens for each unit
- Round token
- Cardboard terrain pieces
- Game tokens
- Handbook and quick reference sheet
The miniatures finish at roughly 5 cm (about 2 inches) tall once assembled. Bandai sells a dedicated Nero 1 paint pack separately for players starting from zero hobby experience, though painting is optional before your first learning games.
Game Setup Step by Step
Setting up a game of Gundam Assemble follows a consistent seven-step sequence detailed in the official play guide:
Step 1: Place the game board in the center of your play space with both players seated comfortably around it.
Step 2: Add scenario-specific components to the board as indicated by your chosen scenario card. This includes bases or carriers, garrisons, additional upgrades, energy tokens, scenario objectives, and terrain pieces.
Step 3: Place additional components within reach of all players: extra upgrades, status effect tokens, energy, attack dice, objective control tokens, and any unit or scenario-specific components.
Step 4: Each player selects either the red or blue side, reveals their squad, and places the corresponding unit cards in their play area.
Step 5: Place a Timeline token for each unit on the Timeline Track according to the starting Timeline value printed on its unit card. If multiple units share the same starting round, stack the tokens in your preferred order.
Step 6: Each player shuffles their nine Tactics cards without looking at them, then draws three cards to form their starting hand.
Step 7: Advance the round token to the lowest numbered round with Timeline tokens on it. The player whose token sits on top begins. If multiple players have tokens on the same round, each rolls one attack die and the higher roll goes first. Reroll ties.
Starter Set 01 ships with two teaching scenarios specifically designed to walk new players through these steps without overwhelming them with choices.
Understanding the Timeline System
The Timeline is Gundam Assemble’s core turn structure, replacing traditional alternating activations with a dynamic system where heavier actions cost more time. The Timeline Track spans 10 rounds, and once all 10 rounds complete, the game’s first phase ends and a second phase begins, giving every match a two-act structure.
Each unit card lists a starting Timeline value determining where it begins on the track. When you activate a unit, the actions it takes push its Timeline token further down the track, delaying when it can act again. A simple Advance action (moving up to three hexes) costs less timeline than a complex Primary Action, creating tactical decisions around when to commit to aggressive plays versus maintaining positional flexibility.
The Timeline also determines when you draw additional Tactics cards. At the end of the first phase (after 10 rounds), you draw three more Tactics cards to add to your hand, giving you fresh options for the second phase of the match.
Unit Actions and Turn Structure
When you activate a unit during your turn, it can perform actions labeled A through D, each usable once per activation and in any order you choose:
| Action Category | Action Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A | Advance | Move up to three hexes |
| B | Primary Action | Must choose one: Attack, Dash, Energize, or Rescue |
| C | Command Abilities | Use special abilities listed on the unit card |
| D | Tactics Card | Play one card from your hand |
Every activation requires exactly one Primary Action from the B category:
- Attack: Engage an enemy unit within range
- Dash: Move faster or reposition aggressively
- Energize: Gain energy resources
- Rescue: Support allied units
A unit may stop moving on any hex within its allowed movement distance. Once it stops and performs another action, it cannot resume moving. Only one unit can occupy a hex at any time. Units can pass through hexes with allied units but must detour around enemy units.
Combat and Dice Resolution
Gundam Assemble uses 10-sided dice (D10s) for combat resolution, a departure from the six-sided dice dominating most tabletop wargames. An attack begins with information printed directly on the unit card: timeline cost, effective range, and strength value.
Many abilities are range-restricted, meaning they only trigger if the target sits within the specified distance measured across the hex grid. Any ability requiring range also requires line of sight to the target. You cannot snipe an enemy unit through a wall of terrain or another mobile suit standing in the way, even if the card’s numbers would otherwise allow the attack.
Unit cards display multiple components that define how each mobile suit fights:
- Hit Points: Damage the unit can sustain before being eliminated
- Victory Points (VP): Points awarded to the opponent when this unit is destroyed
- Starting Timeline Value: Where the unit begins on the Timeline Track
- Weapons: Available attacks with their own range and effects
- Abilities: Special effects that trigger under specific conditions
- Traits: Keywords defining the unit’s characteristics
Win conditions vary by scenario rather than being fixed across the system. Some scenarios end when one player eliminates the opposing squad entirely. Others revolve around holding specific objective markers on the board for a set number of rounds. Each scenario objective card spells out its win condition up front, so both players know exactly what they’re playing toward before the first unit activates.
Building Your Squad
Once you move beyond the teaching scenarios in Starter Set 01, squad building becomes the path to deeper strategic play. The format’s baseline is a minimum of three units per side, with each side designated red or blue for the match rather than being locked into a single faction identity.
Beginner guides recommend a three-job framework for squad construction:
- Threat: One unit that forces opponents to react
- Control: One unit that manages formation and positioning
- Flex: One unit offering options to cover mistakes or support ongoing plays
Because every squad contains only three to five units rather than the dozens common in larger wargames, losing a single unit represents a major swing. This smaller footprint means fewer models to paint before a game becomes playable, and a squad can realistically go from sealed box to finished tabletop force in a single weekend.
Expansion packs plug directly into an existing collection. A Unicorn series unit from Expansion Pack 01 filling the threat role alongside a Witch from Mercury support unit from Expansion Pack 02 demonstrates the cross-series squad building the system encourages.
Tactics Card Deck Construction
Each player constructs a nine-card Tactics deck before the game begins. Your deck can include any Tactics card as long as at least one unit in your squad meets its requirements. With some exceptions, only one copy of each Tactics card can be included in a deck.
Shuffle your nine-card deck without looking at the cards, then draw three for your starting hand. After the first phase (10 rounds) completes, draw three additional cards to expand your options for the second phase.
Squad Building Restrictions
You may build any squad within the unit count specified by the scenario. However, you cannot include multiple copies of a unit with the same unit card number unless those units carry the Mass Produced trait. This restriction prevents stacking multiple copies of powerful unique characters while allowing mass-production units like Zaku IIs to appear in multiples when appropriate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a game of Gundam Assemble take?
The official materials describe Gundam Assemble as a skirmish game with a built-in two-phase structure spanning 20 rounds total (10 rounds per phase). Teaching scenarios in Starter Set 01 are designed for new players to complete in one sitting.
Do I need to paint the miniatures before playing?
No. All miniatures arrive unpainted and require assembly, but you can play with unpainted models. Bandai offers the Nero 1 paint pack for players who want to paint their units but lack hobby supplies.
Can I mix mobile suits from different Gundam series in one squad?
Yes. The format explicitly encourages cross-series squads. Starter Set 01 itself includes units from Universal Century, Gundam Wing, and Iron-Blooded Orphans fighting together.
What’s the difference between Starter Set 01 and Expansion Packs?
Starter Set 01 ($35) includes everything two players need: board, dice, tokens, terrain, and teaching scenarios. Expansion Packs ($40) contain three miniatures with their unit cards and Tactics cards, designed to plug into a starter set you already own. They do not include boards, dice, or terrain.
How does the Timeline system differ from alternating activations?
Instead of players taking turns activating one unit each, the Timeline determines which unit acts next based on where its token sits on the track. Actions push tokens further down the timeline, creating a dynamic turn order where faster actions let units act again sooner.
Where can I find the official rulebook?
Bandai released the core rulebook version 1.0 as a free PDF on the Bandai Hobby site on August 28, 2026. The rulebook is also included in physical form with Starter Set 01.