Month / November 2020

by Lumberjack Nick

Lecci creates printable updates for new rules reference

Nicolas Lecci writes:

Ladies and Gents ! As promised, here are for you the patches for the RRG 2.0 errated cards !
In the drive link below you will find:

  • a Word sheet with all the patches. You can duplicate some, erase, rearrange like you want before printing
  • the Powerpoint file I used, for the ones who want to translate them in another language
  • and finally a little surprise: a spreadsheet detailing the sequence of an attack (ranged and melee as well), and the intervening keywords in the different steps (with a almost 100 pages rulebook, the timing is sometimes quite complex)
    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uRsE8Rc8o68KPKcBWqZRMa5b2WzifTIq?usp=sharing

Pic for attention 🙂

by Lumberjack Nick

Star Wars Miniatures Organized Play in 2021

Atomic Mass Games is working on plans for Organized Play in 2021. One of our focuses is using Organized Play as a vehicle to expand upon the core game experience through use of events that feature alternate game modes, highly focused narrative events, and an emphasis on equally rewarding everyone who plays, especially at the in-store level, where communities for these great games thrive.

 We are looking forward to bringing our Organized Play philosophy to these great Star Wars miniatures games while continuing the types of events these games have enjoyed throughout their time under the watch of Fantasy Flight Games. Beyond the store level we are taking a hard look at the current global situation, as our primary concern is always for the safety and health of our players and global community.

For more on the Star Wars miniatures transition to Atomic Mass Games, check out our official press release.

by Lumberjack Nick

A New Rules Reference Guide for Star Wars: Legion is Now Available

Hello Legion players! Legionnaires? Good people of Star Wars™: Legion!

It is our pleasure to announce Rules Reference Guide 2.0, which features the 2020 competitive points rebalancing. This update represents a major overhaul to the game, so we’d like to take a moment to highlight some of the key changes.

Following our philosophy of trying to lift units up rather than lop off the tall poppies, we’re happy to report that the majority of changes involve points reductions to lesser-used units. In particular, we applied a host of points reductions aimed at bringing all the vehicles of the game up to the level of the TX-130 Saber-class fighter tank and the AAT. Furthermore, to help trooper units combat this new menace, we’ve applied steep discounts to numerous anti-armor heavy weapons across all factions. Additionally, we’ve made an effort to increase the viability of Rebel and Imperial Corps units with targeted reductions to certain units alongside these heavy weapon discounts.

In addition to points changes, we’ve also applied a small number of impactful errata to units and cards that we felt needed more attention than just a points reduction.  Notably, the T-47 Airspeeder gains “attack surge: critical” on its surge chart, and both the Wookiee Warriors and Chewbacca gain increased mobility with the Scale keyword and extra lethality with the Duelist and Lethal 1 keywords, respectively. We try to tread very carefully indeed when it comes to changing what actually appears on a card, but from time to time we feel that an errata is necessary to address fundamental deficiencies or imbalances that points changes cannot fully solve.

This Rules Reference Guide also contains several important changes to some foundational keywords, in an attempt to make the units that possess those keywords more effective—and more fun. These are the most significant changes:

  • Units embarked on a vehicle with the Open Transport keyword are now able to perform attacks and to be attacked, and benefit from heavy cover while embarked. This should lead to some interesting new strategies involving the X-34 Landspeeder and the TX-225 GAVw Occupier combat assault tank.
  • Units that are obligated to perform a compulsory move during their activation can now perform that move at either the start or the end of their activation. With the additional tactical flexibility this change provides, I expect to see units with the Speeder keyword become more popular than ever.
  • The Agile X and Tactical X keyword now require a standard move in order to generate tokens. Units with the Scout X keyword and either Agile X or Tactical X can no longer produce tokens during the Deployment step of Setup.
  • Finally, we come to the most decisive change: Eliminating the ability of clone troopers to use the standby tokens of other friendly clone units at range 1. Clone troopers are now restricted to sharing aim, dodge, and surge tokens.

This is a change we thought long and hard about, because it will have serious ramifications for the Grand Republic faction. Numerous alternatives were tested and ultimately discarded, because we kept coming back to the same core issues. Widespread standby token sharing is problematic for several reasons; it is too powerful, too frustrating for the opponents of the Republic, and it leads to highly non-interactive game states.

In many cases, the right move when playing against a Republic army with access to numerous standby tokens is to simply not engage. When a mechanic is able to punish players severely for doing what they need to do to win the game—namely, attack the enemy and advance toward objectives—it can feel like there’s no right answer. We want to encourage interactive games and keep Star Wars: Legion approachable, and in order to do that, the rule had to change. The simplest and best solution was simply to remove the option to share standby tokens from the core rules of clone troopers.

Republic units with the Exemplar keyword like PadmĂ© Amidala and Anakin Skywalker will still be able to utilize this powerful ability, but by limiting it to key characters it is now more targeted in scope and limited in scale.   

It’s our sincere hope that the sum of these changes will lead to a more balanced, interesting, and dynamic game for fans of all four factions. We can’t wait to see what new lists and strategies the players cook up!

by Lumberjack Nick

Contribution to community thank you letter to Alex Devy

From Kyle Dornbos:

If you would like to say thank you to Alex Davy for all his work on Legion and his involvement in the community, feel free to do so via this Google form. I will compile the responses into a thank you message. I hope you can join me in expressing how much his work and passion have meant to the Legion community.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe34vU2v0kApjZVKRNMCO7JnZjCtQBIOrOD7cvlJifUEwcVrg/viewform

by Lumberjack Nick

Atomic Mass Games Launches Into the Galaxy of Star Wars Miniatures

Yesterday’s announcement that Atomic Mass Games (AMG) will be taking responsibility for the continued development of Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Wars: Armada, and Star Wars: Legion represents an exciting development for miniatures games in a galaxy far, far away.

 We spoke with Atomic Mass’ Simone Elliott (Head of Studio) and Will Shick (Head of Product Development) to gain more information on what fans can expect in the future and for more background on the factors leading to this reorganization.

Let’s start with the most obvious question. Fantasy Flight has launched and maintained three incredibly successful Star Wars miniatures games. Why the move to Atomic Mass?

 Simone: In a word, specialization. Moving to AMG gives us the perfect opportunity to develop our miniatures games in a studio devoted entirely to miniatures, rather than board and card tabletop games. It’s a place where these specific types of games can truly thrive.

 Will: And that devotion Simone mentions, our singular focus on hobby miniatures, is fueled by our team’s lifelong passion for creating great games. Combining that passion with the incredibly solid foundation laid by the team at Fantasy Flight is basically like bringing balance to the Force. We have the tools and we have the talent to build on that foundation and take these miniatures games even further.

 Does this mean we should expect changes to X-Wing, Legion, and Armada?

Will: One of Atomic Mass’ core philosophies is that there is no finish line. We see ourselves on a lifelong journey of learning and improvement. That’s a pretentious way of saying yes (laughs).

 If we’re doing the job right, and staying true to our ethos as a studio, changes will most certainly happen. But those changes will always be in service of making great games even better. I should also point out that any change process will always be measured and highly considerate. These games have solid fan bases made up of people who have invested their hard-earned money, and more importantly, their time and creativity, into creating armies, squadrons, and fleets that are unique reflections of who they are.

We’re a studio made up of people who love and engage in the hobby daily. We deeply understand that kind of investment on a personal level, and we’re committed to honoring and valuing it in everything we do.

 Does that include new Star Wars miniatures games? Can we expect to see any additional titles?

Simone: While we’re hyper-focused on our current games, we’re always thinking of new ones, too. Will and I have talked a lot about how we can create cool new Star Wars miniatures games that will excite fans and immerse them in the stories they love so much.

Will: The galaxy far, far away is a really big place with a lot to explore. It doesn’t take Emperor Palpatine’s Force abilities to foresee that this is just the beginning for Star Wars miniatures games

by Lumberjack Nick

Alex Devy, lead developer of Star Wars Legion layed off in Fantasy Flight Games shake up

Yesterday it was announced that all Star Wars miniatures games will be shifted over to Atomic Mass Games by its parent company Asmodee. Fantasy Flight Games has held the license since 2012 with their launch of Star Wars X-Wing.

Alex Devy, lead developer of Star Wars Legion, has been confirmed to have been laid off by Asmodee/FFG. He will not be officially involved with the game going forward.

Before working on Legion Alex was a developer on Star Wars X-Wing.

His being layoff had come as a shock to the Legion community.

https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/jvdyaz/comment/gcj7t9y

by Lumberjack Nick

Atomic Mass Games Takes Its First Steps Into The Star Wars Miniatures Games Galaxy

Development of Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Armada, and Star Wars Legion Moving from Fantasy Flight Games to Asmodee’s Miniatures Games-Focused Studio

SEATTLE, WA, November 16, 2020- In a strategic reorganization of its Star Wars miniatures titles, Asmodee is announcing today that oversight of its three Star Wars miniatures titles will be moving to their dedicated miniatures games studio, Atomic Mass Games.

 Development of all future miniatures games will be handled by Atomic Mass as well. The move to a specialty studio positions Asmodee’s miniatures titles for even greater success in the future.

 â€śAtomic Mass is committed to bringing people together through fun games, and Star Wars has been bringing people together through the power of myth and story for over 40 years,” Steve Horvath, Head of US Publishing, said. “Combining their talent with the strength of our current Star Wars games and the limitless possibilities of a galaxy far, far away is going to lead to incredible new experiences for tabletop gamers and Star Wars fans to enjoy.”

 Simone Elliott, who has shepherded Fantasy Flight’s relationship with Lucasfilm Licensing since 2015, will lead Atomic Mass Games during this time of expansion as Head of Studio. Will Shick assumes primary creative oversight as Head of Product Development. Joining them will be key members of the teams involved in the creation and evolution of Fantasy Flight’s current Star Wars miniatures games, Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Legion, and Star Wars Armada. 

About Atomic Mass Games 

Composed of veterans from the tabletop miniatures games industry, Atomic Mass Games is committed to delivering immersive lifestyle hobby games that combine industry leading tabletop miniatures and fast, fun, kinetic game rules to create lifelong collectors and players. 

About Asmodee USA 

Asmodee USA is a sales, marketing, and distribution arm of the global Asmodee Group, a leading international company dedicated to bringing great games and amazing stories to all corners of the world. Asmodee USA represents the strongest portfolio of board games in the industry, including such favorite titles as CATAN®, Ticket to Ride, Spot It!, Pandemic, Just One, Dixit, Dead of Winter, and many more. 

About Asmodee Group 

Asmodee Group is a leading international games publisher and distributor committed to telling amazing stories through great games with over 34 million games sold in more than 50 countries. Through our portfolio of iconic game titles, including CATAN®, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Dobble/Spot it!,Arkham Horror, Splendor, KeyForge, and Star Wars: X-Wing, we create a dynamic transmedia experience for players across a variety of digital and physical platforms. Asmodee also creates inspiring and innovative products in partnership with leading entertainment and technology companies. Asmodee operates in Europe, North America, South America and Asia and is headquartered in Guyancourt, France. Learn more at corporate.asmodee.com. 

Press Contact – For any press inquiries, please email [email protected]

by Lumberjack Nick

News About the Future of Our Star Wars Miniatures Game

Atomic Mass Games Takes Its First Steps Into The Star Wars™ Miniatures Games Galaxy

Development of Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Wars: Armada, and Star Wars: Legion Moving from Fantasy Flight Games to Asmodee’s Miniatures Games-Focused Studio

SEATTLE, WA, November 16, 2020 â€“ In a strategic reorganization of its Star Wars miniatures titles, Asmodee is announcing today that oversight of its three Star Wars miniatures titles will be moving to their dedicated miniatures games studio, Atomic Mass Games.

Development of all future miniatures games will be handled by Atomic Mass as well. The move to a specialty studio positions Asmodee’s miniatures titles for even greater success in the future.

“Atomic Mass is committed to bringing people together through fun games, and Star Wars has been bringing people together through the power of myth and story for over 40 years,” Steve Horvath, Head of US Publishing, said. “Combining their talent with the strength of our current Star Wars miniatures games and the limitless possibilities of a galaxy far, far away is going to lead to incredible new experiences for tabletop gamers and Star Wars fans to enjoy.”

Simone Elliott, who has shepherded Fantasy Flight’s relationship with Lucasfilm Licensing since 2015, will lead Atomic Mass Games during this time of expansion as Head of Studio. Will Shick assumes primary creative oversight as Head of Product Development. Joining them will be key members of the teams involved in the creation and evolution of Fantasy Flight’s current Star Wars miniatures games, Star Wars™: X-Wing, Star Wars™: Legion, and Star Wars™: Armada.

About Atomic Mass Games

Composed of veterans from the tabletop miniatures games industry, Atomic Mass Games is committed to delivering immersive lifestyle hobby games that combine industry leading tabletop miniatures and fast, fun, kinetic game rules to create lifelong collectors and players.

About Asmodee USA

Asmodee USA is a sales, marketing, and distribution arm of the global Asmodee Group, a leading international company dedicated to bringing great games and amazing stories to all corners of the world. Asmodee USA represents the strongest portfolio of board games in the industry, including such favorite titles as CATAN®, Ticket to Ride, Spot It!,Pandemic, Just One, Dixit, Dead of Winter, and many more.

About Asmodee Group

Asmodee Group is a leading international games publisher and distributor committed to telling amazing stories through great games with over 34 million games sold in more than 50 countries. Through our portfolio of iconic game titles, including CATAN®, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Dobble/Spot it!, Arkham Horror, Splendor, KeyForge, and Star Wars: X-Wing, we create a dynamic transmedia experience for players across a variety of digital and physical platforms. Asmodee also creates inspiring and innovative products in partnership with leading entertainment and technology companies. Asmodee operates in Europe, North America, South America and Asia and is headquartered in Guyancourt, France. Learn more at corporate.asmodee.com.