I’ve done a first impressions on Star Wars Unlimited a while ago. I got to play to the game at Gen Con in 2023. But now the first set has come out and I want to talk about what and what my current impressions are of the game. Because I bought more, I’ve opened packs, and I’ve played the game. The only thing I want to do more of, and I probably will tonight streaming, is work on some deck building. But let’s look at Star Wars Unlimited from Fantasy Flight Games.

Checkout the Pack Opening

How to Play Star Wars Unlimited

Star Wars Unlimited is base defense game where you are trying to take out your base faster than your opponent can take out yours. You destroy their base by attacking it with ground and space troops. The first one to get their opponents base down to zero wins. That’s the simplest element of the game, but how do you get your units and how does it work?

Each player has a deck of cards and two additional cards. Players have a base card and a leader card. Your base is primarily just going to have hit points on it. But your leader card is going to have an action ability and an epic action which allows them to be played as a unit.

Each round consists of players drawing cards, placing one down as a resource if they want, and then going back and forth playing cards or attacking with cards. Star Wars Unlimited is simple in that you play a card, your opponent goes, you attack, your opponent goes. If you’re familiar with other TCG’s (trading card games) there is no responding to what your opponent does.

These actions go on until one person passes (or claims initiative. Then the other player can keep on playing actions and once they pass, players draw and continue until one base is destroyed.

Compare it to Other TCGs

So, how is Star Wars Unlimited compared to a Lorcana, One Piece, or Magic the Gathering? I think that is the question for a lot of people. I like the idea of TCG’s but I already play Magic the Gathering, do I have room to play two games? Especially since TCG’s are lifestyle games for a lot of people.

That question is one that I’ve been pondering. For me, it is closest to a game like One Piece. Star Wars Unlimited is more complex than a Lorcana but much less so than a Magic the Gathering. And this might be intentional. Or, it might be that I didn’t play magic from the beginning. So maybe Magic did start out simpler and grow more complex. But I feel like it wasn’t ever as simple.

For me, Star Wars Unlimited and the other non-Magic the Gathering TCGs are more introductory friendly. They also are newer so they might grow in complexity. But Star Wars Unlimited takes a lot of the greatest hits and puts it together into their package. So not truly unique, but also, not derivative feeling.

The Inherent Problem of TCGs

So, if you don’t know TCGs there is one element to talk about. It’s the scarcity of some cards in the gaming system. And most of the time those cards being that much better. So you want them for your deck because it’ll make what you built stronger and better and more easily able to beat your opponents.

It’s always interesting to see how a company tries to get around it. And I think that Star Wars Unlimited mainly does what you expect. Firstly they do go with a pretty common system of cards where you get more of the basic cards and then fewer and fewer of the increasing rarity. That means with the rarer cards, you need to open more packs to truly get a play set of them.

But I like what it does with some of the other rare cards. There are foil cards, you get one per pack. There are hyperspace cards (borderless) where it is the same card but just showing more artwork. And there are showcase, very rare cards, that are foil full art versions of some cards, but they are just that card. This was the issue with the previous Star Wars Destinies there wasn’t a collectability or secondary market. Unlimited will have that.

The downside is that some cards will be more expensive. But even a lot of the common cards are fun to play with. And you always get a leader and a base per each pack. So for someone looking to casually build, those cards are easy to get, which is really important. It makes the game very accessible to get started.

What I Like About Star Wars Unlimited

I already covered some of this before. But one element that I really like is the back and forth nature of the game. I call that out in the rules or how to play section. It makes the game a whole lot easier to play. I go and then you go. There is no spending 5-10 minutes on a single players turn. There is no stack where you need to think about which action goes and which one doesn’t or who the active player is. The game system is nice and clean.

I enjoy, as well, that the game offers some good keywords to it without being keyword soup. Magic the Gathering, and I expect Star Wars Unlimited over time, has a ton of keywords. Right now it isn’t too many and they are all explained well. I felt like I didn’t have questions about what something does.

And I like the strategy in the game. I want to play around with the deck building and I likely will tonight. But Star Wars Unlimited gives you the choice to attack the base or your opponents units. You probably always attack the base. But if you can gun down Vader when he comes out, is that the better plan? Or do they have a sentinel, taunting, unit you need to go through first? And can you outpace your opponent or do you need to be smart about it.

Final Thoughts on Star Wars Unlimited

I like this game a lot. I liked it after I played it at Gen Con. Now that the first set is out and the starter decks are out, I like it a lot still. I think that the game is really smartly designed and gives a fun space to play in. And I appreciate that it isn’t a game that is too complex. It is a TCG that I won’t be bored by but also that I can teach to other people.

That is a great spot for the game for me. I want it to be accessible, rules light, and fun to mess around with deck building. Like I said, my plan is to do some deck building tonight on Malts and Meeples. And I might even show off a little bit of game play or solo a hand or two to see how a deck is going to work. But I haven’t been that interested in deck building in a while. In fact, even though I’ve started playing some Magic the Gathering again, I don’t want to deck build. In Star Wars Unlimited, I want to see what I can make.

Overall, I enjoy this game a lot. If you don’t like TCG’s, this won’t change your mind. If you’re okay with them but like Star Wars, this might be a really good game to jump into. And maybe, I should say, if you don’t like TCG’s but love Star Wars, Star Wars Unlimited might pull you in.

My Grade: A
Casual Grade: B+
Gamer Grade: B

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