Star Wars: Shatterpoint – a new game by the makers of Marvel Crisis Protocol

By Phillip Melvin

On November 9th Atomic Mass Games made a surprise announcement that they will be releasing a new skirmish level miniatures game set in the Star Wars Universe. While early information is sparse, I gathered together what was shared on the Twitch Stream, Press Release, Pictures from the teaser trailer, and a little extra from Social Media to compile into this article. Join me as we take a ride on the S.S. Hype Train to a galaxy far, far away.

I sometimes can see the weak places in an opponent—shatterpoints where the unbreakable can be broken. They can occur in individuals…and in events.

― Mace Windu, Jedi Master

Twitch Stream Announcement

While the trailer is fantastic (and we will get back to discussing all the characters revealed), the 1st set of information came from the Twitch Special Announcement. Simone Elliott (Head of Atomic Mass Studio) and Will Shick (Head of Product Dev) showed off the trailer and then talked for about 10 minutes about the game from a very high level view. While its a pretty short and easy video to watch, here is the highlight information shared.

  • Game has been in development for just under 3 years
  • Skirmish Level miniatures game that is character driven and squad focused
  • Strike Teams will be comprised of big name characters (ex. Lord Maul, Ahsoka) and secondary/supporting squads (ex. Clone Troopers, Battle Droids)
  • Scenarios will be narrative driven and dynamic in that they change as the game progresses
  • Setting and Design style come from the animated Clone Wars TV Show
  • Much like Marvel Crisis Protocol, the Core Set for Shatterpoint will include enough characters and squads to make 2 Strike Teams and comes with Terrain
  • Elevation, catwalks, etc play a role in game strategy
  • Shick rattled off some future release characters that weren’t shown in the teaser trailer including Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Cad Bane, and Padmé Amidala
  • Pre-orders and more info about the gameplay will begin in January 2023
  • Adepticon (Chicago, March 2023) will be the world premier of game demos and Atomic Mass Games first official visit to this convention
  • Official game release June 2023
  • Finally they talked about game localization. Core Set will release in 5 separate languages (English, French, German, Spanish, and Polish). However all expansion products will include components with all 5 languages to make it easier for international consumers to continue to acquire the game

Teaser Trailer

Now lets get back to the trailer and discuss all those awesome reveals. The teaser didn’t have any dialogue so no gameplay was discussed at this time. The models are mainly on a studio created landscape, but there may be some Core Set terrain included.

Lord Maul, Gar Saxon, and two Mandalorian Super Commandos vs. Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, and two Nite Owl Mandalorians

Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker with Captain Wrex and 501st Clone Troopers

General Kenobi with Commander Cody and 212th Clone Troopers

General Grievous and B2 Super Battle Droids (2 models per base)

Count Dooku (aka Darth Tyranus) and a pair of IG-100 MagnaGuard

Luminara Unduli, Padawan Barriss Offee, and a pair of Republic Commandos

Mandalorian Bounty Hunter Jango Fett

Sith Assassin Asajj Ventress

Super Tactical Droid and B1 Battle Droids (3 models per base)

More detailed pic of Lord Maul, Gar Saxon, and two Mandalorian Super Commandos

More detailed pic of Ahsoka Tano, Bo-Katan Kryze, and two Nite Owl Mandalorians

Atomic Mass Press Release

The official Press Release didn’t reveal much beyond what was talked about on the Twitch Stream and confirmed a target release date of June 2023. However one small tidbit I noticed does hint towards flexible Strike Team construction

  • Players can choose thematic squads straight from the Star Wars galaxy, like Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze, Lord Maul and his loyalist super commandos, or mix and match their favorite characters to form the custom squads they want to play.

How flexible this mix and match will be is yet to be determined, but combining good guys and bad guys is always fun in miniature games.

Official Star Wars: Shatterpoint Facebook Group

Not entirely unexpected, the response to this game had two re-occuring questions concerning Shatterpoint’s relationship to the other Atomic Mass Star Wars Game Legion and the similar in assumed style game Marvel Crisis Protocol. Atomic Mass quickly setup an official Facebook group and after a few hours put out a generic Q&A

Hello folks! We wanted to take some time to answer some questions we’ve seen a lot today in response to the trailer.

What are the mechanics?

Savor the anticipation! While we know everyone wants to know all about mechanics, you can expect more discussion and reveals about mechanics in 2023.

Is this a reskin of MCP?

Star Wars: Shatterpoint is a totally new game with its own mechanics and structure. We can’t wait to be able to share more with you next year!

When can I try it?

Join us at Adepticon for the World Premiere of Star Wars: Shatterpoint! We’ll have more information on how to participate leading up to the event.

Is this the end of another game I love that AMG makes?

Shatterpoint joins with Legion, X-Wing, and Armada not as a replacement for any of these amazing Star Wars games, but as a new option with its own unique experience for players to discover the excitement of miniatures in a galaxy far far away.

Can I help with play testing?

We will absolutely put out a call for play testers! Keep your eyes on the group for an invite to apply

Core Set Speculation

Time for some sleuthing to determine what all will get in the Core Set. Lets start with the box art for the set.

On the left side of the cover we have Maul and Asajj Ventress center, Gar Saxon and Mandalorian Super Commandos in the upper left, and a Super Tactical Droid and B1 Battle Droids in the lower left.

On the right of the cover we see Ahsoka and Anakin center, Bo-Katan Kryze and the Nite Owls upper right, and Wrex with some 501st Clone Troopers in the lower right.

The Left edge picture of the box again shows Bo-Katan and Gar Saxon, with the upper edge showing Maul and Ahsoka. Showing these 4 characters at least twice pretty much guarantees their inclusion in the box.

If the Marvel Crisis Protocol box set was any indication, all characters on the cover art will be included in the Core Set as well (which is very exciting). Going off of the model reveals from the teaser trailer puts the starter Strike Teams rosters as

“Good Guys” – Anakin, Ahsoka, Bo-Katan, Nite Owl Mandalorians x2, Wrex, 501s Clone Troopers x2

“Bad Guys” – Maul, Asajj Ventress, Gar Saxon, Mandalorian Super Commandos x2, Super Tactical Droid, B1 Battle Droids x2 (with 3 models per base)

While this is just speculation from box art alone, there was one more hint that this may be the Core Set roster

This background image from the Twitch Stream could be the Core Set models plus included terrain pieces. The terrain itself looks to be the same as seen in the teaser trailer which furthers its possibility of being whats included. Of course it could have just been created for the trailer and future Atomic Mass stream games so take what im saying with a large grain of salt.

Looking at the sculpts, while blurry, does allow for a comparison to the shots from the trailer. On the right side you can see two large bases with 3 B1 Droids each standing near the Super Tactical Droid with his blue glowy hologram. To the left of the Tactical Droid appears to be Asajj Ventress based on stance and pale bald head. Above them you can make out the red of the Super Commandos next to Maul.

On the left side bottom we can make out Anakin with his blue lightsaber next to Wrex (based on hand/arm pose) and a basic 501st trooper. Above them on the catwalk is Ahsoka next to I assume Bo-katan based on that smoke flying base. Next to her is then is 2nd basic 501st trooper. Finally the two Nite Owl Mandalorians appear to be on the 2nd/3rd level of the far left piece of terrain.

If all this terrain plus 16 models truly does come in the Core Set (alongside I’m guessing templates, dice, and cards) then this will be a stacked Starter Product. Even if it only comes with half the characters, Atomic Mass has proven with Marvel Crisis that they can make a Core Set that is a super value for anyone getting into the game. It may be a bit more expensive than the MCP starter product, much has changed economically since that game released, but I for one will be backing my set as soon as January 2023 rolls around.

As always, if you want to read more content about Marvel: Crisis Protocol, Conquest, or Warhammer: 40,000, there are many articles to be found on this very website! Consider subscribing to the Line of Sight Youtube, and joining the Discord! Finally, if you want to support this content directly, check out the Line of Sight Patreon where you can help influence the very course of the podcasts! Thanks for reading, we’ll see you next time!

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