There's more to miniature wargames than just Warhammer, and in fact my favourite has no connection to Games Workshop or grimdarkness whatsoever. Shatterpoint pits two teams of iconic Star Wars characters against each other, and it produces some of the most tense and exciting moments I've ever experienced on a tabletop.
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The Star Wars Shatterpoint Core Set is currently 34% off in the Prime Day sales, making it just $108.99. And that's not just a starter set—it genuinely contains absolutely everything you need to play, including:
- Enough models for two full teams, including Anakin Skywalker and Darth Maul.
- The rules cards you need to play with all those units.
- A set of terrain designed around the game's uniquely acrobatic movement rules.
- A mission deck to get playing with.
- A metric ton of tokens and other game accessories.
- A full set of the game's custom dice.
- Movement tools—no tape measure needed.
Even at full price I think the Core Set is fantastically good value as wargame starters go, but at this big of a discount it's a steal. It really is the full package—no extra purchases necessary—but if you find you enjoy it, publisher Atomic Mass Games sells a whole range of other Star Wars characters from all across the films, TV shows, and even videogames to supplement your forces.
So what is it I like so much about Shatterpoint?
First of all, it's not a game about just wiping your opponent off the table. Characters will get injured over the course of the battle, but it takes a lot to actually remove them. Instead of pure violence, the focus of the game is outwitting and outmaneuvering your foes, in order to take control of ever-shifting objectives. That means everyone on your team gets a chance to shine.
Rather than simply a case of accumulating points, each mission is like a tug of war, where you build up your advantages and try to swing the Struggle Tracker over to your side. It's always a best of three rounds of play, with the mission escalating in chaos as you go—more often than not, it comes down to a nail-biting third round that makes for a fantastic climactic skirmish.
Equally, when units fight, they don't simply chuck damage at each other—an attack can unleash [[link]] a whole array of different effects depending on the character using it, from shoving foes back, to disarming them, to allowing you to sprint or jump to a new position, to unleashing a force power. It really creates the feel of an exciting Star Wars duel.
The miniatures support that theme perfectly. You only bring a handful each—6 - 8 per side—but they're sculpted in a larger scale to most wargaming miniatures, making each one its own little heroic display piece. They're really gorgeous pieces, and the larger details make them great fun to paint, too—here, I'll show you one of mine if you promise not to judge it too harshly:
Over the last two years I've been having a blast bringing my Jedi, clones, and Mandalorians to events and tournaments, and it's secured [[link]] a special place in my heart for Shatterpoint—so when I saw this deal, I felt like I had to spread the word. Don't feel too pressured if you're unsure, though. While this deal won't stick around for [[link]] long, it isn't too unusual to see these kinds of discounts on the Core Set—it was similarly cheap at a lot of places for May the 4th earlier this year for example, so there should be more opportunities to grab it in the future.
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