The designer behind the Star Wars board games Imperial Assault and Rebellion returns to a galaxy far, far away with a new co-op game based on the spin-off series The Mandalorian.
The Mandalorian: Adventures marks the first time since 2019’s open-world galaxy exploration game Star Wars: Outer Rim that Corey Konieczka has worked on the enduring sci-fi universe, having left publisher Fantasy Flight Games after 14 years to open experimental studio Unexpected Games that same year. Unexpected will serve as publisher for the new board game.
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The upcoming board game will specifically adapt the first season of the Disney+ show, which follows Pedro Pascal's helmeted bounty hunter Din Djarin as he protects “baby Yoda” Grogu from falling into the clutches of Werner Herzog's mysterious client and Giancarlo Esposito's post-Empire villain Moff Gideon.
Eight characters from The Mandalorian’s first season will be able to join forces, including protagonist Mando and tracker droid turned enemy turned ally IG-11 (Taika Waititi impersonation optional). Each character has a unique deck of ability cards they can use during scenarios to fight and work toward a variety of objectives, which will vary by mission, each based on “iconic moments” from the show.
These missions will be played out in a ring-bound book that forms the game board and shows the different setup processes, victory conditions, and map rules for each scenario. The maps themselves appear to be hex-based, with player characters and tokens representing enemies moving around the top-down view of environments and buildings as they train.
The combination of cooperative card-based combat, different decks for each character, and the use of hexagonal grid maps and unique scenarios on a book board reminded me of the dungeon crawler Gloomhaven, in particular its beginner-friendly spin-off Jaws of the Lion.
That comparison seems especially apt, as Unexpected teased that the game will have what appear to be campaign or legacy elements in the form of two booster packs to open and new rules, components, and mission types that will be introduced throughout its story. Some of those missions will even feature the possibility of one of the players becoming a hidden traitor lurking among the group, a la Betrayal at House on the Hill.
The Mandalorian: Adventures will be Unexpected Games’ fifth release following its creative debut with puzzle game The Initiative, the somewhat controversial Voices in my Head, and deck-building game 3000 Scoundrels, plus its expansion. You’ll be able to pick it up for $50 sometime later this year, and Asmodee’s website lists a release date for August 2 during this year’s Gen Con.