A Miniatures Game Store’s Look at Star Wars: Shatterpoint

When we look at new games, we know that not every miniatures game store thinks the same. Star Wars: Shatterpoint presents a compact-scale game of figurines that emphasizes movement and action. Each participant constructs a team comprising a renowned character leading a small group of support characters, such as battle droids or clone troopers. The initial batch of releases concentrates on the Clone Wars period within the Star Wars universe.

Basic Gameplay Setup

The models are traditional miniatures and scenery that necessitate assembly prior to gameplay, along with painting to enhance their visual appeal on the game board. We suggest having some prior experience in assembling miniatures for those who engage in this game. Most of the components fit together well, but if any difficulties arise, an experienced player familiar with a miniatures game store should be able to handle them.

Both players shuffle their unit cards into a deck to determine the order of play. Each turn, a card is drawn and the corresponding unit is activated, enabling movement and attacks. Moreover, a shatterpoint card is included, which grants the opportunity for any unit to act once per round, even if it has already been activated.

The Core Rules

The Core Rules are a dynamic set of rules, meaning they are available as a downloadable PDF that the designers can continuously fine-tune and adjust. If you are accustomed to Kill Team or other rulebook-based skirmish games, this feature will likely be a welcome relief. In fact, you can already freely download the complete Core Rules for Star Wars: Shatterpoint from the Atomic Mass Games website, which can be found here.

The scenarios revolve around specific objectives, with various points on the map that players must secure using their units. Controlling these points causes a meter on the table to shift towards one side, serving as both a timer and a scoreboard. Inflicting damage on opposing pieces and other battle elements can accelerate the meter’s progression.

Both factions possess Force points, which allow for the activation of more potent effects and special abilities. This aspect primarily encompasses the acrobatic maneuvers of the Jedi, such as swiftly traversing the battlefield or leaping to elevated terrain. As a battle prolongs, the cost of these abilities increases, creating a subtle incentive to avoid overly defensive play.

Attacks follow a conventional resolution process, where successful attack rolls result in hits, while defense rolls mitigate their impact. Instead of a simple subtraction, the hits that penetrate defenses trigger specific outcomes on the character cards. These outcomes form interconnected paths that enable the attacker to make strategic decisions after the attack concludes.

Keeping up with new games can be difficult, which is why our miniatures game store is always looking to stay up to date on new releases. For more information on Shatterpoint, or more information on our store, visit the rest of our website or call us today at 860-254-5111.