Undaunted: Normandy was a shock smash hit again in 2019 because of its novel marriage of constructing a deck of motion playing cards in-game that you simply then performed to command squads of troopers on a board. It spawned a number of spin-offs with the identical World War II theme, together with the aerial Undaunted: Battle of Britain and the stupendous marketing campaign model Undaunted: Stalingrad. (Those video games are so distinctive, by the way in which, they landed on our lists of the perfect struggle board video games and finest deck-building video games.)
Undaunted 2200: Callisto Board Game
However, proper again to the unique, some gamers who had been uncomfortable decreasing real-life battle to a recreation needed a sci-fi model. Now their want has been granted, as the identical programs have been ported to the struggle for an icy, mineral-rich moon between miners and their company overlords in Undaunted 2200: Callisto
What’s within the Box
Undaunted 2200: Callisto arrives in a really heavy field, and people accustomed to the earlier entries within the collection could also be stunned to seek out the load is generally right down to 4 double-sided, fold-out boards, changing the modular board tiles of the unique. While this reduces the variety of maps you’ll be able to struggle on it’s, for essentially the most half, a optimistic change making setup simpler and the boards higher trying, with clear house demarcations and useful info printed across the edges. The board artwork is suitably darkish, chilly and futuristic.
Some different surprises await. Alongside the 10-sided cube that the collection has all the time used are a set of eight- and 12-sided ones, used with one in all this entry’s new guidelines, capturing at totally different elevations. This can be the primary entry to include a devoted solo rule ebook, with solitaire play being obtainable solely through an growth beforehand. There are additionally recreation guidelines and a situation booklet that are clear and concise.
Beneath these are extra acquainted elements. There are a few sheets of punch-out tokens and standees, which characterize foot models and automobiles, respectively. There are additionally two massive decks of playing cards, one for every faction, which you’ll use to command your troops. The artwork on these is detailed and atmospheric however has one drawback: many of the figures depicted are in house fits, which makes them really feel weirdly nameless and identikit, regardless of efforts being made to visually differentiate the 2 factions. This, alongside the black-on-yellow and white-on-blue of the counters, may also make it just a little awkward to inform at a look precisely what unit beneath your command is what.
Rules and How it Plays
The core gameplay stays unchanged, so veterans of the collection can dive proper in. Each situation provides you an inventory of playing cards in your beginning deck, and an even bigger pool of playing cards you’ll be able to incorporate into your deck throughout play. At the beginning of every flip, each gamers draw 4 playing cards and decide one to bid for initiative, with extra highly effective playing cards having a better bid worth. Going first can have a huge effect on how the flip unfolds, and the loser’s card is wasted, so it is a quickly repeating dose of stress.
Your different playing cards is usually a mixture of fight and command playing cards. Playing the previous permits you to activate the corresponding counters on the board to do issues like transfer and assault. The latter allow you to both select new playing cards so as to add to your deck, or generally to attract extra playing cards or re-activate models for a second motion in the identical flip. How you select to make use of command playing cards is an interesting strategic puzzle that is determined by the situation and the state of your forces. The extra playing cards you add, the slower your deck will cycle and the much less probably it’s you’ll get complementary playing cards in your draw, nevertheless it additionally provides models extra endurance in a recreation the place eliminating enemies is usually a victory situation.
When it involves activating troops, you’ll be able to’t simply rush for goal areas, or into fight with foes. Before most counters can attain an area, it must be marked as scouted, which is the protect of playing cards with the matching motion, usually recon and navigation models. Once scouted, heavier models can transfer in and use an motion to manage the house, which is the opposite key victory situation in most situations. This units up a continuing stress over methods to most successfully transfer and make the most of the forces at your disposal. Each house has a defensive bonus, and the necessity to scout usually leaves counters in weak positions earlier than they’ll creep into safely. Similarly, you usually need your troopers to be attacking, not spending valuable actions to take management of areas.
Most of the brand new recreation features add items to this tactical puzzle. Most noteworthy is an easy elevation system, the place clearly marked areas and platforms are handled as one stage above customary areas. Firing up an area means you’re rolling an eight-sided cube towards the goal variety of the counter’s protection, plus the vary, plus the bonus printed on the house they’re in. Firing down will get you a 12-sided cube, whereas the identical elevation makes use of 10-sided cube. When goal numbers are usually six or extra, that variation makes an enormous distinction, that means the struggle over elevated areas will be vicious, diverting your consideration away from the target areas that may win you the sport.
The different main change is the addition of space-specific actions, that are additionally printed on the board. Most generally these are doorways which you’ll spend an motion to open, or to assault, eradicating them completely, though some situations have laser turret areas you need to use to make a robust assault. Between these motion areas and the elevation guidelines, Undaunted 2200: Callisto solutions one other frequent request from followers of the collection for extra interactive terrain guidelines. Like all the things else within the recreation, the designer’s answer is streamlined but efficient, including selection and depth to play with minimal additional guidelines overhead.
Vehicles are one other instance of this thought course of at work. They have a protect printed spherical their defensive values, which basically means they’re resistant to small-arms fireplace. Some assault choices have values to make use of towards tender foot models, whereas others can assault these armored targets: usually the ranges and values are totally different. A mining Ripper unit, their customary troop, rolls one die at any vary towards tender targets, however will get two cube towards armored targets in the identical hex, for instance. Vehicle models will be very highly effective, not solely by way of firepower but additionally flexibility, and so turn into yet one more transfer within the interlocking circles of prioritization that bedevil all of your selections on this recreation.
Units additionally get loads of selection. In addition to the usual scouts, solider and machine-gunners that you simply meet within the first situation, later models add extra results resembling space assaults and suppressing fireplace, or the flexibility to move different troops with them for quick deployment. It’s additionally noteworthy that there’s extra asymmetry within the models obtainable to either side than there have been in earlier Undaunted video games. The scouts obtainable to the company participant, for example, transfer sooner however have extra restricted assault choices in comparison with their mining counterparts. This minor asymmetry is a welcome addition, making attempting out either side in a situation a way more fascinating prospect.
Despite the sci-fi trappings, and the presence of mechs and laser turrets, this nonetheless looks like a pre-modern skirmish recreation. There are not any awesomely highly effective sci-fi weapons to leverage on both aspect, no cool applied sciences to harness, simply re-themed rifles and machine weapons. This, after all, betrays the roots of the sport in World War Two. It doesn’t actually spoil the sport – getting up shut and private enhances the tactical choices obtainable, and you would make the identical arguments about maybe the most well-liked sci-fi tabletop recreation round, Warhammer 40k – however some gamers might discover it disappointing.
The solo model performs effectively, though the overhead in following easy flowcharts for every unit, particular to every situation, is a little bit of a ache. The payoff is a mute enemy that makes tactically smart selections, usually providing clues as to one of the best ways to strategy any given situation. There’s additionally a brand new group recreation for 4 which works surprisingly effectively, wherein the troops on either side are subdivided into two decks, with teammates swapping the lead function in bidding for initiative every time. Splitting forces like this makes the possibilities of piecing collectively combos you would possibly want in any given flip much less probably, will be irritating but additionally very thrilling, and results in emergent co-operative decision-making.
