When you talk about Star Wars board games, discussion inevitably always leads to one game Star Wars: Rebellion. It is a game that is beloved by all, being in the top ten games of all time rated by Board Game Geek. It is not hard to see why. The game is a masterpiece in terms of theme, mechanics and that sense that you are in the Star Wars universe, carving your own story. It is one of the crowning achievements of designer Corey Konieczka. Added to this, one of the grail games of board game collectors is Battlestar Galactica. Again, it is a game oozing with so much theme that it is a highly prized game, and its expansions are a huge drain on the wallet (Thankfully I was able to find all of the expansions and play the game regularly with my gaming group!). Konieczka is a name that commands respect in the gaming world.
Out of nowhere this year, came the announcement of a new Star Wars game. Nothing new there, but as soon as it was known that one of the code signers was Konieczka returning to a galaxy far, far away, gamers – myself included – suddenly sat up and took note. This is the man who created one of the best board games ever. Not that it even matters that it’s Star Wars. To say expectations for this game are high would be an understatement.
Fortunately, fellow Jedi News member Kat and I, got to meet the other designer of the game, Josh Beppler, at this year’s UK Games Expo as well as try the first mission of the game. We go into depth with this with our review of the event if you want to read more about this but suffice to say it is the number one game I am most looking forward to playing. Unfortunately, Corey could not be at the event but both he and Josh agreed to an interview all about The Mandalorian Adventures that is being published by Corey’s own company, Unexpected Games.
Jedi News: Unexpected Games was set up five years ago, after Star Wars: Rebellion. Did you always know you wanted to design another game set in a galaxy far, far away?
COREY: When I left Fantasy Flight Games to found Unexpected Games, I let everyone know that I wasn’t closing the door to doing more Star Wars games. I said that if the inspiration hit me, I’d love to return to this galaxy.
JN: What’s it like running your own company now after working for so many others before?
COREY: It’s exciting to have more control over what projects I do, but also daunting because it was all on me. Before Josh started in 2022 I was wearing a LOT of hats: including design, development, running external playtest groups, managing freelance artists and graphic designers, running our social media, making our marketing plans, and more. It was exhausting, so I’m happy to have some help.
JN: How did the idea for this project come about?
COREY: When The Mandalorian™ tv show was released, I was thunderstruck. It was so unique while still staying true to the Star Wars universe. I had been toying around with making another adventure game inspired by some of the mechanics from The Initiative board game. The two ideas eventually collided in my head, and it felt so perfect that I went straight to my boss with the pitch.
JN: There is a huge lack of Star Wars cooperative board games. Going into the project, did you know this was something you wanted to address or did this aspect come about more naturally?
COREY: I’ve worked on a LOT of Star Wars games, so I knew that if I was to make another one it would have to offer a fresh experience. Cooperative was certainly one thing that sets it apart, but there are many other elements as well, such as the action system and the optional hidden motives (traitor) mode.
JOSH: Cooperative games are my absolute favorite genre, so I’ve been so exceptionally excited to work on this game. Coupling that with a really unique action system, I’m thrilled with what we’ve produced!
JN: Josh, Corey Konieczka is an incredibly well loved game designer, what was it like to work with him?
JOSH: Such a fun experience! I’ve loved Corey’s games since well before coming aboard Unexpected Games, and it was a real treat to see his design sensibilities on full display. Despite his decorated track record, Corey remained extremely receptive to my ideas and suggestions, and how special an experience that was is certainly not lost on me.
JN: Star Wars: Rebellion (the game) is considered the Star Wars board game. Did it ever feel intimidating to try and create a game that lives up to the expectations of that game
COREY: It is absolutely intimidating. According to Boardgamegeek.com, it is the 9th highest rated game OF ALL TIME. That blows my mind. Ultimately though, I can’t think about that. It’s too much pressure.
Making games is not about accolades or usurping other designs. It is about following a vision and making the most fun experience you can. I can’t control what other people think of my game, but I can at least make something that I think is awesome.
JN: How long did it take to design the game?
COREY: According to my notes, I created the first prototype in September of 2022 and we locked down the final files in October of 2023. That’s 13 months which is pretty fast for a game of this size.
JOSH: I think it was my second or third day on the job when I caught my first glimpse of The Mandalorian: Adventures, and we hit the ground running immediately.
JN: What were some of the biggest challenges in designing the game?
COREY: My biggest challenge was making sure players had interesting decisions each turn. In a game that is so “combat focused,” I wanted to make sure your turns were not always “move and attack.” Sure, you will have turns like that, but I wanted deeper strategy. We worked hard to make all of the actions valuable and important, and the event card system adds an additional wrinkle to make it sometimes dangerous to perform certain actions. It took a long time to dial in this system, and I’m very proud of how it turned out.
JN: Creating a game with a focus on episodic narration can sometimes lead to a lack of variation for multiple plays. In what ways did you design the game to make sure this wasn’t the case?
COREY: Since the game is not a campaign, it was especially important to make replaying a mission fun and exciting. The randomness of enemy setup and the event deck do a lot to make games different, but there are also other mechanics added after a few games that give you even more reasons to replay missions. I’ve played each mission dozens of times, and they still surprise me.
I compare our game to something like the Unmatched board game. There are lots of different maps and character combinations that you can mix and match for endless replay ability. I think it has more in common with that than a campaign based adventure game.
JN: How is The Mandalorian: Adventures different from other games?
JOSH: I’m really excited about how we’ve managed to “pace” the complexity of the game. Mission 1 out of the box is a rules-light experience that I can come back to with anyone thanks to its variable enemy setup. As more rules and components are unlocked, I can enjoy a hidden motives mission or mercenary mission with my gamer friends and see some really clever plays thanks to the later additions to the game. You can tailor this experience to best fit any group you play with!
JN: Rather than a single story that plays through a single game (like Rebellion), the game is split into episodes. What were the pros and cons to designing a game like this? Did it ever feel like you were designing more than one game?
COREY: Designing a mission-based game is fun because you have a box of tools that you can use to turn the game on its head. Some missions can focus on being stealthy, while others can focus on pure combat. Each mission is a puzzle, but the mission rules are one element that is interacting with all of the other parts of the game. So in a way, it does feel like I’m designing a bunch of little games, each needs to be fun and unique.
JN: Which was your favourite episode to design?
COREY: I think my favorite design was The Prisoner. It takes place on a prison ship which made it visually look very different. It has a square grid instead of a hex grid, but it also has the long hallways and cells full of prisoners. I knew we also wanted an alternate loss condition for this map to represent the tracking beacon. There are just so many little details in this mission, it was a blast to design.
JOSH: I really enjoyed the development journey of “Redemption”; we knew we had some fun opportunities to add thematic flavor that complimented the challenge level we were looking for, and seeing that marriage come together was a blast. Plus, we got to make Moff Gideon as menacing as he was in the show.
JN: When you look at The Mandalorian: Adventures as a finished product, it’s gorgeous, from the maps to the card artwork. What were your first thoughts when you saw the initial artwork?
COREY: I was blown away. Our artists, graphic designer, and art director all did amazing jobs. Whenever new artwork showed up, Josh and I would gawk at how beautiful it looked. I could never draw as well as these artists, which makes me appreciate it even more.
JN: Who are your favourite characters to play as when playing The Mandalorian: Adventures?
COREY: My favorite character to play is probably Xi’an. She’s very sneaky and plays very differently than other characters. She’s probably the hardest character to play well, but I love.
JOSH: This is such a tough question! Paz Vizsla can have some super fun turns, and I love the way he interacts with the planning deck. I’d have to pick between him and Burg, who plays the “tank” well with his deck containing one of the few ways to heal in the game.
JN: Having looked at the inside of the box, the insert is simply a joy for storing everything. Are you finding as a company that better inserts are now expected from gamers?
COREY: Personally, I don’t really care for box inserts. Whether or not a game has an insert really does nothing for me. I recognize though that this REALLY matters to some people though, so we put some extra effort into making one for this game. My favorite part about the insert is that it is eco-friendly which you don’t see very often.
JOSH: I’m the some people who really care about box inserts! I’m thrilled with how this one turned out – everything has a home, we accommodated the spiral binding of the mission book, and as Corey said this is a super eco-friendly solution that I’ve never personally seen before. I hope my fellow insert-lovers are pleased with our efforts!
JN: The rising cost of materials is having a real impact on the manufacture of board games. Did this have any impact on the design of the game?
COREY: Absolutely. One of our goals was to make this game affordable but packed with content. Those two things are at odds with each other, but there are many things you can do to make a game more affordable. One of the biggest costs is often plastic figures, so we decided to do cardboard standees instead. This worked really well in the Outer Rim board game, and I think it works great here as well.
JN: This game focuses on season one of The Mandalorian show. Is there any chance that the game could return to I focus on the following seasons?
COREY: That would be awesome! Let’s hope the game sells well enough to warrant an expansion.
JN: Star Wars: Rebellion and Battlestar Galactica are huge fan favourites. Battlestar – now out of print – still commands a huge price and is now considered a ‘grail’ game. Star Wars: Rebellion is known as the Star Wars game to have. Even after all this time, how does it feel that these games are still considered so great in the gaming community?
COREY: I’m honored that these games are so beloved with the community. I was very fortunate to get to work on these licenses, and the fact that people still talk about them all these years later is simply phenomenal.
JN: Are there any plans for other Star Wars titles from Unexpected Games?
COREY: All I can say is that our next new game is going to be very different from everything else we’ve done so far.
JN: What are your top favourite board games that you are playing at the moment?
COREY: I’m in the middle of a big Gloomhaven campaign with my friends at the moment. We only meet once a month, so that will probably keep up busy for the next 2 years. 😊
JOSH: I just picked up Return to Dark Tower at Origins and I’m in love with it! Such a cool toy factor tied to a really fun puzzle!
Well I don’t know about anybody else but after having played the first mission and talking to these two, I’m even more excited for the game, which can be pre ordered from most local game shops now. My heartfelt thanks to both Corey and Josh for taking the time to speak to Jedi News and share their insights to what promises to be an absolute incredible game!
