The UK Games Expo, Britain's premier tabletop gaming convention, serves up a mouthwatering spread of physical games in every shape and form. But this year, one franchise stands tall above all others - Star Wars. And who can blame the crowds? This beloved sci-fi universe is currently experiencing a gaming golden age, with multiple titles receiving continuous updates and expansions.
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The Mandalorian: Adventures receives the "Clan of Two" expansion, drawing inspiration from season two of the hit Disney+ series. "As lifelong Star Wars fans, we wanted players to relive those iconic moments right on their tabletops," explains Josh Beppler, who co-designed the game with industry veteran Corey Konieczka. "An expansion was always part of the plan because the source material offers such rich storytelling opportunities. Season two introduced so many beloved characters that we just had to bring to life in board game form."
This expansion introduces fan-favorites like Ahsoka Tano and Fennec Shand alongside formidable threats such as the legendary Krayt Dragon. Will Shick, lead designer for Shatterpoint, shares his team's character selection philosophy: "Our choices stem from various factors - sometimes it's our personal favorites, sometimes it's about creating an amazing miniature, but mostly it's about what excites the fanbase."
Shick reveals some unexpected upcoming additions: "We're introducing Riff Tamson, the Karkarodon - yeah, basically a space shark man. He's seriously cool." This aquatic villain arrives in the "Terror from Below" set, bringing with him the new 'Aquatic' keyword that enables fresh strategic possibilities. Shatterpoint cleverly encourages thematic team compositions through these synergistic keywords.
"The design intentionally rewards thematic play without forcing it," Shick elaborates. "We've found subtle bonuses work best - pair characters who belong together in the story, and they'll perform better together on the tabletop. It's about rewarding natural synergies rather than pushing players toward min-maxing."
The collectible card game Star Wars: Unlimited takes a different approach to keywords. While it shares some mechanical DNA with Shatterpoint, its system must accommodate frequent card releases. Designer Joe O'Neill explains their process: "We went through numerous iterations before landing on the current Force token system tied to bases. It creates meaningful deck-building decisions without requiring players to pull specific cards."
O'Neill continues: "Committing to a Force-based deck means sacrificing other powerful options - that tension makes for interesting strategic choices." His colleague John Leto adds the thematic justification: "Many of these Force-generating bases represent significant locations in the Star Wars universe, like the famous crystal caves."
Responding to player feedback, The Mandalorian: Adventures expansion addresses previous criticisms about the game's length. "We've doubled the mission count," Beppler notes, "and all content mixes seamlessly between the base game and expansion." He's particularly excited about the new duel deck mechanic: "It captures those cinematic face-offs perfectly, really emphasizing each character's unique identity."
For challenge-hungry players, the expansion introduces optional difficulty spikes. "We've added persistent negative events and deadlier enemy variants," says Beppler. "But they're completely optional - newcomers can stick to the standard experience while veterans can test their skills."
Shatterpoint also evolves to maintain player engagement. Ross Thompson from Atomic Mass Games reveals new competitive formats and narrative campaigns on the horizon. Shick provides the creative specifics: "Our galactic legends mode lets one player embody an unstoppable force like Darth Vader while others scramble to survive - it creates incredible asymmetric gameplay moments."
In a surprising move for miniatures games, Shatterpoint embraces a "print-and-play" philosophy for balance updates. "We want to ensure changes remain accessible to all players," Shick states. "Game design is an ongoing conversation - we're not afraid to admit our initial assumptions might need tweaking once the game hits the wild."
This commitment shines through in every conversation with the designers. Their passion for both game design and the Star Wars universe is palpable. The Unlimited team even engages in booster pack trading at work. "We've got a dedicated Teams channel for set trades," laughs O'Neill. Seeing developers this invested in their own games provides the best possible endorsement of these exciting new Star Wars tabletop experiences.
