First check out three new and upcoming Star Wars board game extensions

The UK Games Expo is the largest tabletop game conference in the UK, and is a delicious smorgasbord in various physical games imaginable. But if there is one thing that dominated this year’s event, it’s Star Wars. No wonder: This is a very popular franchise, currently enjoying the game Renaissance and receiving ongoing support from multiple titles.

The Expo shows three latest and upcoming releases Star Wars Board Game and card games: the collectible card games Star Wars: Infinity, Miniature Conflict game Star Wars: Shatterpoint and Cooperating board game Mandalorian: Adventure.

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Mandalorian: Adventure There is a new extension based on two clans Season 2 Inspiring the game's TV show. “As Big Star Wars fans, we wanted to make sure players feel like they’re going through plots on the desktop,” said Josh Beppler. “Expandation is something we’ve always wanted to accomplish because there’s such a lovely source material to draw inspiration from. Season 2 of the show was a huge success and we were eager to work on new characters that were just huge fan favorites.”

The two clans have added some new playable characters from the wider Star Wars universe, such as Ahsoka Tano and Fennec Shand, as well as legendary enemies like Krayt Dragon. But, of course, it's one of the joys of franchise: There's a lot to attract inspiration. “What we chose to add was based on many different factors,” explains Will Shick, chief designer at Shatterpoint. “Sometimes, it's just a character we really like in the office and have a good idea. Sometimes it's based on inspiration for engraving. A lot of the time, it's based on anything that's really popular among fans.”

If you looked at the game’s release schedule, you might notice that the diversity has brought them into some surprising places. “We're going to be a shark man from space,” Shick grinned. “It's so cool.” He's talking about Karkarodon's Riff Tamson, who includes the upcoming horrors in the horror below. This is also an opportunity for the team to introduce new keywords to the game “Aquatic” and thus unlock new possible builds. Shatterpoint is notable that it is no exception to push players to pursue thematic team by creating powerful combinations using these shared keywords.

“It’s a completely intentional design,” Shick continued. “We found the best way to develop a game is to bake soft rewards. Or few guide rods say, hey, this character will do something cool, but if you bring this character with another theme paired character, they will all do better. It won't do better. This won't force the player's hands. If you play the subject, those bones may be more valuable than you take the attitude of the smallest minutes.

Keywords are also part of the favorite card game Star Wars Infinite. However, as a system that requires a large number of new cards, each new card will be different. The Jedi and Sith already have an existing “force” keyword, but for the latest suit, The Legend of Force, designers build designers by making the force use unique mechanics. Some of the game's starting bases allow you to get a force token that you can spend on specific cards unlocking powerful abilities, while others give you a chance to regain the token.

It's a mechanically interesting system, and while not necessarily tied to the Star Wars legend, designers are willing to open up for fun. “We tried many different iterations,” explained designer Joe O'Neill. “Some people ask you to draw cards that get power with the deck, but it often feels very inconsistent. A gameplay that is always playing is the basis for you. So using it allows us to use it as a decision of choice without rewriting the rules, not needing you to draw a specific card without you and then feel like you don't draw the right thing.”

Using a dock also tends toward many favorite things gamers like about their system: Deck construction. “If you choose to run a heavy power deck, it means you don't have access to the energy conversion base,” O'Neal continued. “So you have to choose between some of the most powerful abilities in the game. You won't run everything, and we think the choice does make sense and it's an interesting deck building decision.” His co-designer John Leto noted, “Other ways to get other power throughout the scene. Many of the bases we choose are places that are important to power, such as the Crystal Cave.”

While collection games like Star Wars Unlimited want to stuff as many varieties as possible into new material, lower stretchable formats often use expansion as a way to respond to player feedback in the original game. The Mandalorian is no exception, and some fans think it's too short when only four tasks are offered. “The extension adds four, so it doubles the map,” Beppler said. “All quests can be played on the new map. It's all interchangeable. You can take any new characters, combine them with the base game characters, and find new synergy and combinations. I think exploring old quests with these new abilities will bring a lot of new life to the game.”

He hopes other tweaks may win some gamers passing the original. “The biggest example might be the duel deck,” he said. “It's a cinematic way of going through battles. It really helps make the themes of these characters stand out.” He also offers new options that can greatly increase the challenge if you find the basic game too easy. “We added conditional ongoing events that are in the action slot and have negative consequences for you until you clear it,” he continued. “We also created a deadly version of some of the weaker events in the first game. It's all optional – you can stay in the newbie mode and you'll have a good time, but you'll miss some of the deep strategies that come up in the gameplay.”

Similarly, some upcoming Shatterpoint material helps answer common environments where the scene is not changing enough. “We just had a whole new key operation drop, and they added thematic event modes you can play,” explains Ross Thompson, marketing director at Atomic Mass Games. “And, we're also ready to release a new tournament kit that will include promotional cards, posters and something like that. Then, we'll have Galaxy Legends later this year, where you can be a character you really want to get into.”

Shick fills in more details on this new game mode. “One player will be able to control a super-powered protagonist,” he explained. “So Darth Vader is seeing him on the screen and there is no balance in the game. Then two other players get the squad of the main or secondary characters. It's a very interesting narrative because one player will feel super powerful and the other player will be like that and the other player will be like that, oh my god, my god, I'm going to deal with a big guy, how do we stand out?”

As the game progresses, most of the ongoing micro-games encounter the need to adjust and rebalance characters, and Shatterpoint is no exception. But in the age of online materials and Army building applications, they have taken unusual steps to release updated cards and encourage players to print updates. “Print and play Provide flexibility to make these changes and provide players with a broad attitude to ensure they are free and not behind a paywall. ” Shick said.

In an industry dominated by electricity sprawl and “fear of missing out” marketing, it feels like a very forward-looking attitude. “We are not too proud to admit that design is a craft, like game development,” Shick said. “Once the game goes into the wild, players may do different things to what you expect. So we want to make sure we respect people's collections, we will bring that value and make the best games possible, all of which can move forward and look back. If players pick a boot box and it will become very attractive characters, like Anakin and Ahsoka, they will get better when they play. We both play well.

Such words are undeniably inspiring. It’s refreshing to talk to designers and feel they’ve really put their work into it. This is true for all the creatives in these games: their passion for work and their radiance from Star Wars. The Star Wars Infinity team even collected their own products from the booster pack. “We have an entire team channel for deals in the studio,” O'Neal laughed. “People posted their list of needs, and when the set came out, we all sat down, all cracked our boxes, and then traded.” And you know, they were doing well when the game design team was eagerly looking forward to finishing the day and continuing to eat their own dog food.

Matt Thrower is a freelance writer at IGN, specializing in tabletop games. You can contact him on the blues @mattthr.bsky.social.