Gundam Assemble Quick Play Guide - Get Started in Minutes

Bandai officially launched Gundam Assemble in October 2026 as a competitive tabletop miniatures game featuring roughly 5 cm scale mobile suits from across the Gundam franchise. The game combines traditional Gunpla assembly and painting with fast-paced tactical combat on a hex-gridded board. This guide covers the essential rules and concepts to get new players into their first match quickly.

What You Need to Start Playing

The Starter Set 01 launched at a $35 MSRP and provides everything two players need for their first game. The box includes six miniatures spanning multiple Gundam eras: the RX-78-2 Gundam, Char’s Zaku II, Wing Gundam Zero EW, Gundam Vidar, Barbatos Lupus Rex, and Gundam Mepphyon. Each miniature arrives unpainted and unassembled.

Beyond the miniatures, Starter Set 01 contains six matching unit cards, 18 tactics cards, a set of 10-sided dice, a game map, game tokens, cardboard terrain pieces, a handbook, and a quick reference sheet. The set includes two teaching scenarios designed to walk new players through the core mechanics before building custom squads.

All miniatures in Gundam Assemble require assembly before play. Players snap or glue parts together and paint them using standard hobby techniques. Bandai even offers a dedicated Nero 1 paint pack accessory bundle for players starting from zero hobby experience.

Understanding the Timeline System

Gundam Assemble revolves around the Timeline system rather than traditional alternating turns. The Timeline track consists of 10 spaces representing the 10 rounds of a Phase. Each unit has a starting Timeline value printed on its card that determines where it begins on the track.

Players place a Timeline token for each of their units on the track during setup. When multiple units occupy the same Timeline space, stack the tokens in your preferred order. Units on top of the stack activate before units underneath.

During each round, activate any units on that Timeline space before moving to the next space. If no units occupy a space, skip it entirely. When multiple players have units on the same space, alternate activating units with the player who acted most recently going last.

Most actions have a Timeline cost. After declaring an action, move that unit’s Timeline token forward a number of spaces equal to the action’s cost. For example, attacking with a weapon that has a Timeline cost of 3 moves the unit’s token forward three spaces. That unit won’t activate again until its token reaches the current round.

If a Timeline cost moves a token beyond space 10, advance to space 10, return to space 1, and continue counting. Units that spend more than 10 Timeline in a single activation advance into the next Phase.

Core Actions and Movement

When activating a unit, you must take one Primary Action and may take other actions as defined by the rules. The Primary Actions include:

Advance: Move up to three hexes. Terrain and enemies impact movement. Speed bonuses increase how far a unit can move when Advancing.

Attack: Spend the indicated Timeline to make an attack with one of the unit’s equipped weapons or a weapon provided by a Tactics card.

Dash: Spend two Timeline to move up to two hexes. Terrain and enemies impact movement.

Energize: Spend two Timeline to gain an Energy token on the unit card. Units can accumulate multiple Energy for abilities that require it.

Rescue: Spend two Timeline to Rescue an adjacent allied Garrison and score two victory points.

Moving a unit requires moving one hex at a time in any direction. Continue until you’ve moved your maximum distance or wish to end movement. You cannot move through hexes containing enemy units, enemy Garrisons, or enemy structures, but you may move through allies. You cannot end movement in the same hex where you started.

Units adjacent to an enemy unit or Garrison at the same elevation become Engaged. Engaged units receive a -1 hex penalty to all movement and must target at least one of the enemies they’re Engaged with when making any attack.

Combat and Attacking

Each unit card lists one or more weapons with the following attributes: Timeline cost, range, strength, weapon effects, and critical hit effects. The strength value indicates how many 10-sided attack dice to roll during the attack.

To make an attack, declare your intent by announcing the target and weapon. The target must be both in range and within Line of Sight. Weapons with range 1 only target adjacent enemies. Weapons with range 2 or greater attack enemies up to the weapon’s maximum range.

Line of Sight requires drawing an imaginary line from the center of the attacking unit’s hex to the center of the target’s hex. Line of Sight is blocked if the line passes through terrain at a higher elevation than both attacker and target, enemies at the same elevation as both, or enemy structures at the same elevation as both.

After declaring an attack and paying the Timeline cost, roll your attack dice. By default, rolls of 4 or greater score hits. Rolls of 1 always miss. Rolls of 9 or 10 score critical hits regardless of modifiers and trigger the weapon’s critical hit effect.

Elevation affects accuracy. Attacking a unit at higher elevation results in -1 Accuracy (subtract one from each die roll). Attacking a unit at lower elevation grants +1 Accuracy (add one to each die roll). Accuracy modifiers do not turn lower rolls into critical hits.

Each hit deals one damage, but units may reduce incoming damage through Shields. Each active Shield prevents one damage. After applying damage, units with 0 hit points are defeated, removed from the board, and returned to their Reserve. The opposing player earns victory points equal to the defeated unit’s victory point value.

Deploying and Redeploying Units

Players begin with units in their Reserve rather than on the game board. The first time you activate a unit, deploy it to the board from your Base or Carrier. Add it to the board on the same hex as your Base and activate it immediately. Deployed units cannot end their movement on a Base and must move at least one hex before ending their activation.

When a unit is defeated, immediately move its Timeline token two spaces forward as a penalty. Reset the unit’s hit points to maximum and remove any status effects. Do not reset Energy or Upgrades. The next time that unit activates, redeploy it following normal deployment rules.

Building Your First Squad

Most scenarios require squads of either three or five units. Select any units of your choice with one restriction: you cannot include multiple copies of a unit with the same card number unless those units are Mass Produced.

The game explicitly supports cross-series battles. A Universal Century Zaku can fight suits from shows that aired decades later. Beginner guides recommend building squads with three distinct roles: one unit that creates threat and forces reactions, one unit that controls formation and positioning, and one unit that provides flexible options to support other plays.

In addition to your squad, build a deck of exactly nine Tactics cards. Each unit has a Signature Tactics card that only that unit can use. Some Tactics cards specify faction traits and can only be included if your squad contains at least one unit with a matching trait. Cards without faction requirements can be included in any deck. Players may only include one copy of each card in their Tactics deck.

Victory Conditions and Scoring

Games consist of two Phases, each including 10 rounds, for a total of 20 rounds. Players earn victory points throughout the game by defeating enemy units and Garrisons, rescuing allied Garrisons, and completing scenario goals. The player with the most victory points at the end wins.

Each scenario includes specific goals representing tasks players can complete for points. Some goals correspond to a specific Phase and can only be achieved during that Phase. Others remain active for the entire game and score at the end of each Phase.

Many scenarios require controlling key Objectives on the battlefield. When a unit ends its activation on or adjacent to an Objective, it contests the Objective. If the number of allied units on or adjacent to that Objective exceeds enemy units, the contest succeeds. If the Objective is neutral, the player captures it. If the Objective is controlled by the opposing player, remove that player’s control token and return the Objective to neutral.

At the end of the first Phase, resolve any scenario Objectives, draw three new Tactics cards, and begin the second Phase. At the end of the second Phase, resolve scenario Objectives and compare victory point totals to determine the winner.

Learn to Play Events

Bandai launched an official event management platform called Bandai Tabletop Games alongside the brand. Learn to Play preview events rolled out at official retail stores starting September 26, 2026. These beginner-friendly guided demonstrations do not require previous experience or personal game materials.

Each Quick Demo is led by trained store staff using the official Quick Demo Script. The demo introduces core concepts including the Timeline system, movement, Upgrades, Objectives, attacks, and Tactics cards through a pre-set scenario. After the scripted opening turns, participants take remaining turns themselves before the demo concludes at a defined stopping point.

Participants in Learn to Play events receive one ST1-U002 Wing Gundam Zero [EW] exclusive design card per genuine participation, subject to available store stock. The number of rewards at each store is limited.

Quick Reference Table

Component	Function
Timeline Track	Determines activation order; 10 spaces per Phase
Unit Cards	Display stats, weapons, abilities, hit points, and victory points
Tactics Cards	9-card deck with attacks, commands, and responses
10-sided Dice	Attack rolls; 4+ hits by default, 9-10 critical hits
Hex Board	Movement and range measurement
Objectives	Capture and control for victory points
Garrisons	Defeat enemy or rescue allied for 2 victory points each

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a typical game take? Games consist of two Phases with 10 rounds each. The Timeline system and smaller squad sizes make Gundam Assemble faster than many comparable miniatures games.

Do I need to paint the miniatures before playing? All miniatures ship unpainted and unassembled. Players are expected to assemble and paint them before matches, following standard Gunpla hobby practices.

Can I mix units from different Gundam series? Yes. Squad building is open-ended and explicitly supports cross-series battles. The only restriction is avoiding duplicate unit card numbers unless units are Mass Produced.

What happens when my unit is defeated? Remove the defeated unit from the board, return it to your Reserve, and move its Timeline token forward two spaces as a penalty. Reset hit points to maximum and remove status effects. Redeploy the unit during its next activation.

How many Tactics cards do I draw? Draw three cards at the start of the game and three more at the end of Phase 1. Players may play up to one Tactics card per activation.

Where can I find the complete rules? Bandai released the official Core Rulebook version 1.0 as a free PDF on the Bandai Hobby site on August 28, 2026.