STAR WARS: Shatterpoint Missions

Hello and welcome to another installment of Atomic Mass Games Transmissions! Today we’re going to be diving into Missions in Star Wars™: Shatterpoint and how they work in the game. As with all things Star Wars, the goals of the characters are one of the most important parts of the movies and shows – and Shatterpoint is no different. Constantly changing and affecting every decision you make; Missions make up the main goal of the game and are the primary way of winning (and losing!).

Before we talk too much about the Missions themselves, let’s talk about the Struggle. There is a dashboard for players to track the Struggle – a sort of tug-o-war between the players. At the end of each player’s Turn they will score points, moving the struggle token toward their end of the track. If the Struggle token ever reaches the end of that player’s track, they win the current Struggle!

But, unlike the old school-yard game, Shatterpoint throws a monkey wrench into the works. Momentum tokens are added to a player’s side of the track as certain actions are performed – most notably wounding enemy characters, but there are character special rules and other ways to gain momentum as well. Momentum moves the end of your track toward the center making it easier for you to achieve victory and is an important part of any strategy!

To win a game of Shatterpoint one player must win two Struggles – but what is a Struggle and how do I win it? What a great question! The most common way to win a Struggle is by controlling objectives. When a Mission is chosen and set up on the battlefield you place several Inactive objective tokens as shown on the Mission setup card.

Once the game has begun, you’ll flip over a randomized Phase 1 card with a map to show you what objectives are active for the first Struggle. You’ll be fighting with your opponent to control these objectives by claiming them with characters. Be prepared to climb, jump, and hurdle over terrain to get there – the action starts quickly and doesn’t let up! As mentioned above, you’ll be scoring points at the end of each of your turns, pushing the Struggle token toward victory on your end of the track. Too much sitting back and your opponent will quickly overwhelm you! But worry not. Even if your opponent wins the first Struggle there is still hope (and what would any Star Wars game be without HOPE?) Once a player wins the first Struggle (By moving the Struggle token to the end of their track), phase two begins with a new set of randomized Struggle Cards.

While Phase 1 cards present the players with no choices in what the struggle is, Phase 2 cards will give an option between two maps, chosen by the player who lost the last Struggle, as to which objectives they want to be active, these new active objectives replace the current Phase 1 active objectives. Should the same player win the Struggle in Phase 2, they are the winner of the game! If both players have won a Struggle after Phase 2, the game continue into Phase 3.

Now, some people may assume “Oh, I’m playing best out of 3! That’s pretty cool!” And you wouldn’t be wrong, kind of. Between each phase, nothing in the game resets – damage, injuries, wounds, conditions… It all stays on characters. Positioning your characters to capitalize on the ever-shifting objectives and planning for the future are a huge part of any successful strategy in Shatterpoint and will tax even the greatest characters and players alike!

Now that you know a little about Missions and the Struggle, be prepared for the next transmission to dive a little deeper into an overview of gameplay concepts – until next time, Atomic Mass Transmissions, signing off!

Pre-order your copy of the Star Wars: Shatterpoint Core Set at your local game store or through the webstore today!