The UK Games Expo, Britain's premier tabletop gaming convention, presents a rich assortment of every conceivable physical game. This year, the event is clearly dominated by Star Wars. It's no surprise, given the franchise's immense popularity and its current resurgence in gaming, with numerous titles receiving continuous support.
The Expo is highlighting the latest and upcoming releases for three Star Wars board and card games: the collectible card game Star Wars: Unlimited, the miniature skirmish game Star Wars: Shatterpoint, and the cooperative board game The Mandalorian: Adventures.
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Star Wars: The Mandalorian Adventures
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Star Wars: The Mandalorian Adventures - Clan of Two Expansion
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Star Wars: Shatterpoint - Core Set
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Star Wars: Unlimited TCG Twilight of The Republic Starter Set
$34.99 at AmazonThe Mandalorian: Adventures has released a new expansion, Clan of Two, based on the show's second season. "As dedicated Star Wars fans, our goal was to make players feel like they're reliving the episodes on their tabletop," said Josh Beppler, who co-designed the game with veteran designer Corey Konieczka. "An expansion was always part of our vision due to the wealth of fantastic source material. Following the massive success of the second season, we were excited to develop new characters that became instant fan favorites."
Clan of Two introduces new playable characters from the wider Star Wars universe, including Ahsoka Tano and Fennec Shand, alongside legendary adversaries like the Krayt Dragon. This abundance of material is one of the franchise's great strengths, offering endless inspiration. "Our selection process for new additions considers many factors," explained Will Shick, Shatterpoint's lead designer. "Sometimes it's a personal favorite character from the office, or a great sculpt idea. Often, it's driven by what's currently popular with the fans."
Reviewing the game's release schedule reveals how this diversity leads to some surprising inclusions. "We're introducing a shark man from space," Shick said with a grin. "It's incredibly cool." He is referring to Riff Tamson the Karkarodon, featured in the upcoming Terror from Below set. This also allows the team to add a new 'Aquatic' keyword, enabling fresh strategic builds. Shatterpoint encourages players to form thematic teams by using shared keywords to create powerful combos, and this is a perfect example.
"That is a completely intentional design choice," Shick elaborated. "We discovered that the best approach is to integrate soft bonuses or subtle guideposts. These indicate that a character has a cool ability, but pairing them with a thematically linked character unlocks an even more powerful effect. It encourages thematic play without forcing the player's hand. Essentially, if you build a narrative team, the bonuses can be more impactful than a purely min-maxed strategy."
Keywords also play a role in the collectible card game Star Wars Unlimited. However, as a system requiring frequent new card releases, their implementation differs. While a "Force" keyword for Jedi and Sith already existed, the designers for the new Legends of the Force set expanded it into a distinct mechanic. Certain starting bases let you gain a Force token to spend on powerful card abilities, while others provide ways to recover the token.
This creates a mechanically intriguing system, even if its connection to Star Wars lore isn't always direct; the designers prioritize engaging gameplay. "We experimented with many versions of this mechanic," designer Joe O’Neill explained. "Some relied on drawing specific cards to gain the Force, but that felt inconsistent. The base is always in play, so utilizing it allowed us to create an opt-in decision that didn't require new rules or relying on drawing the right card, which could lead to a subpar experience."
Leveraging the base also taps into what many collectible game players enjoy most: deck-building. "Choosing to run a heavy Force deck means you forgo energy conversion bases," O’Neill continued. "This forces a choice between some of the game's most potent abilities. You can't have everything, and we believe that trade-off is meaningful and adds depth to deck-building." His co-designer John Leto added, "There are other thematic ways to gain the Force throughout the set. Many of the chosen bases are places significant to the Force, like the crystal caves."
While collectible games like Star Wars Unlimited aim for maximum variety in new content, expansions for less flexible formats often address player feedback. Some fans felt The Mandalorian base game was too short with only four missions. "The expansion doubles the content with four new missions," said Beppler. "All missions can be played on the new maps, and everything is interchangeable. You can mix new characters with base game ones to discover fresh synergies. Replaying original missions with these new abilities will breathe new life into the game."
He hopes other adjustments will appeal to players who skipped the original. "The duel deck is a prime example," he suggested. "It's a cinematic way to experience a fight, highlighting the characters' themes." The expansion also includes options for players who found the base game too easy. "We've added conditional ongoing events that occupy an action slot and impose a negative effect until cleared. We also made deadlier versions of some weaker events from the first game. These are optional—you can stick to novice mode for a great time, but you'd miss the deeper strategic layers."
Similarly, upcoming Shatterpoint content addresses the common criticism of repetitive scenarios. "We just launched a new key operation, adding a thematic campaign mode," explained Ross Thompson, marketing director at Atomic Mass Games. "New tournament kits with promo cards and posters are on the way. Later this year, we'll introduce galactic legends, allowing you to focus on a single character you're passionate about."
Shick provided more detail on this new mode. "One player controls a super-powered main character—like the screen version of Darth Vader, not game-balanced. Two other players command squads of primary, secondary, and supporting characters. It creates a compelling narrative where one player feels incredibly powerful, and the others face the thrilling challenge of overcoming them."
Like most ongoing miniatures games, Shatterpoint requires periodic character rebalancing. However, they've adopted an unconventional approach by releasing updated cards online for players to print. "Print-and-play allows us the flexibility to make these changes widely available, ensuring they're free and not behind a paywall," said Shick.
This is a remarkably progressive stance in an industry often defined by power creep and 'fear of missing out' tactics. "We're not too proud to admit that game design is a craft," Shick stated. "Once a game is released, players might use it in ways we never expected. We want to honor people's collections, add value, and make the best game possible, both for new content and existing material. When a player buys a starter box with compelling characters like Anakin and Ahsoka, they should feel good using them. We ensure they perform just as well as they did at launch."
This perspective is undeniably inspiring. It's refreshing to speak with designers who are genuinely passionate about their work. This enthusiasm is evident across all the creatives on these Star Wars projects. The Star Wars Unlimited team even collects their own product. "We have a dedicated Teams channel at work for trading within the studio," O’Neil laughed. "People post their wish lists, and when a new set releases, we all open our boxes and set up trades." It's a clear sign of a dedicated team when they eagerly finish their workday to play their own game.
