Poke around this blog a little and you will see a fair bit of content about expandable card games (CCGs, TCGs, LCGs, etc.). I own a dozen and have played twice that. But it was with trepidation I purchased Fantasy Flight Games' return to the TCG market: Star Wars Unlimited (2024). FFG's pedigree and the art had me interested, but looking over the rule set and seeing a couple sample games didn't give me a feeling the game had an edge—an intangible something to distinguish it from the dozen or so other TCGs being released around this time, let alone dethrone some of the great TCGs that are already out there, dead or alive. Me being a sucker for such games, however, I had to have a try.
Unlimited does not revolutionize expandable card games/CCGs. Two players bring their decks to the table: 50 cards each based around a single Star Wars hero/villain. The decks are comprised of units (characters, vehicles, droids, ships, etc.), upgrades (lightsabers, blasters, grenades, etc.), and events (one-time effects). And these cards are deployed based on a very simple resource system. All is as you would expect from a TCG, with each player's goal being to reduce their opponent's base from thirty to zero hit points. First player to do so, wins.
Unlimited borrows a huge amount of DNA from FFG's history of expandable card games. Unlimited has zero dice but it does take advantage of several other elements of Destiny's design. Gameplay and deckbuilding are hero/villain-centric, including unique abilities. There is likewise a color pie which links to theme: green is Command, red is Aggression, blue is Force, yellow is Cunning, etc.. Each base and hero/villain is tagged with certain colors, which sets deckbuilding parameters. Short games is another Destiny hallmark found in Unlimited. 20-40 minutes is average. Players can easily play two or three games per hour. And while Unlimited also borrows the manner in which Destiny deploys upgrade and vehicles, the last big thing it brings over is one action per turn, which does an amazing job keeping gameplay snappy and fair (i.e. players have a chance to react to their opponent's moves).
It should be clearly stated, however, Unlimited is not Destiny without the dice. It likewise borrows from other games. There is the summoning sickness of Magic: The Gathering, the resource system of The Spoils (more later), the win condition and shields from Star Wars: The Card Game (the LCG), and something slightly resembling the manner in which heroes are flipped in Marvel Champions. On the whole Unlimited feels like a smoothie—a central meeting point, of several TCGs to date. It borrows significantly more than it invents.
If there is an element which distinguishes Unlimited from other such card games, it is the battlefield. Divided in half, it has a space side and a ground side. X-Wings, TIE Fighters, Star Destroyers, etc. must be deployed on the space side, while stormtroopers, AT-STs, guardsman, etc. must be deployed on the ground. And never shall the two meet. Players make tactical choices where and when to deploy units within the limitation space cannot attack ground, and vice versa, knowing both are able to attack bases. Players need to pay attention in order to not let their opponent build up too many forces on one side and blast their way quickly to victory.
I say one thing distinguishes Unlimited, but there is an argument to be made for a second: the uniqueness of the heroes/villains. For the majority of a game, the player's hero or villain sits on the side board. Only its passive effects modify gameplay. Each hero/villain has a deployment cost, however. If there are enough resources, the player can perform an epic action to deploy their hero/villain. They flip them to its other side, which reveals a new power, and deploy it to the battlefield. Once on the battlefield, the hero/villain becomes like other units—ultra powerful, but defeatable. If defeated, the hero/villain flips back over and returns to the side board, it's passive side once more in effect. When the hero/villain comes on the battlefield it's a powerful moment, and the player needs to choose wisely to ensure optimum impact. One of the few truly thematic aspects to the game, it feels good setting Vader loose to stomp over battlefield and lay waste to a group of rebel troopers, for example.
The resource mechanic of any TCG is always worth mentioning given how fundamental it is. That of Unlimited doesn't do anything radical. The opposite in fact; it is as simple as they come, and is, ironically, limiting for it. Using the same system as Lorcana, The Spoils, and several other TCGs, the player converts one of the cards in their hand into a resource at the beginning of a turn by putting it face down into their play area. That card can then be exhausted to pay for units, upgrades, events, etc. Players can only resource one card per turn, which means economies start small and ramp up once per round to allow bigger and bigger cards to be played. In early game, this makes for mechanical play with limited possibilities. Rather than open choices, players typically have only one or two cards in hand that can be played based on the resources available. The first several rounds are on rails—playing what you are able, not what you want. Choosing which cards to convert into resources is interesting, however, and can be the source of regret late game when a card you want has already been resourced. But as a general rule, you resource expensive cards early because they are unplayable, which isn't satisfying.
Overall there is nothing creative or expansive about the game's economy. It's mechanical, simple, and prevents games from getting out of hand quickly. I prefer the open economy of games like Warhammer 40k: Conquest, Destiny, Game of Thrones: The Card Game, etc., but this mechanism is safe and functional.
But is the game fun?!?! Does Unlimited get you excited, wanting to play just one more match?!?! The answer to that question will likely depend on how much TCG experience the player brings to the table. At a basic level, most all TCG players will enjoy it in some way. It is, after all, a TCG designed by industry veterans. More experienced players, however, may not find enough unique content or singular mechanisms to warrant adding a new TCG to their list of games being played. This is because Unlimited is risk averse. A corporate product, it is designed to be mass market accessible—to compete with the big names Magic, Pokemon, etc. By doing so, the game eliminates much of the verve and character that might have made it truly unique or sophisticated—like games coming from smaller studios. Remove the Star Wars IP and you've got a pretty straight-forward game—a balanced, competitive game, but not a rich or innovative one. With that in mind, however, the IP is sure to bring people in, no question. And regardless my hang ups about accessibility, simplicity, theme, etc., Unlimited remains a well-designed game.
We should also discuss the art. FFG went an entirely new direction compared to their previous Star Wars games. Where games like Destiny, Imperial Assault, X-Wing Miniatures, the Star Wars LCG, and their other expandable games recycled a huge amount of art assets, the art of Unlimited is newly commissioned and offers a new style. The art has a strong graphic novel feel, with vivid colors and exaggerated action and emotion. Appreciating it will be personal preference. I find it great. In terms of collectibility, many of the cards can be found in alternate form inside packs (as opposed to given out as promos, prizes, etc.). Opening a booster, the player will find mostly standard format, but at least one card with alternate art (called “hyperspace” format), rainbow foiled, or both. More than most other card games, FFG invested significantly in both standard and alternate varieties of art. At this stage it is most likely taken for granted, but it's worth noting graphic design is also phenomenal. Over the past 14+ years FFG have gotten the integration of art, text, and symbols down to a science. Everything is clear, snappy, and fits a motif running through the whole game. And so while gameplay may be average, table presence is many steps above. I do not get into the collectibility side of TCGs, but I would assume there is clamber over Unlimited.
I'm critical of the ultra-simple resource system and corporate hand holding. But there are a couple other points that are difficult to recommend. First is deck size versus deck played. As stated, deck size is up to 50 cards. Most games we've played (+/-30 as of the writing of this review, using the 50 card starter decks) see only about half of those cards actually played. On average 25 cards remain face down, in a pile, unused, each game. There is a decent chance some of your favorite/most needed cards a stuck in the bottom half. As such, we started a house rule wherein players draw up to a 5-card hand in the regroup phase. This allows for better decisions regarding which cards to resource, better chances of getting cards that can be afforded, and increases the chances of seeing your favorite/most needed cards, not to mention reduces the randomness of one player getting the exact cards they need and the other, not. We find it more fun, and more Star Wars-y.
I could also criticize the flimsy components in the starter deck set (FFG, really? No dials??), but they are ornamental, no real impact on game. This leaves match trajectory. Where resources ramp evenly upward one per round, damage output ramps exponentially. If Unlimited were algebra it would be a growth curve. Things move slowly at the beginning, almost parallel to the x-axis. Things pick up a little for a bit. Then things explode. The final one, two rounds of an Unlimited match are fast and crazy. Where decisions in the early rounds are slow and deliberate due to limited economy, decisions in the late rounds are chaotic and not easy to estimate. A player might have half their base's hit points remaining, then just die in a turn. Matches can be over that quick. Some people may like this chaos; I find it dissatisfying. That 8-cost Palpatine or 7-cost Han Solo you've been saving up to play gets out on the table one action--if he's lucky, then the game is over. Instead, players have to play dinky-danky units the majority of the game. They don't truly get to exercise the power of the big name hero and villains, to feel the satisfaction of them on the table, until the end. You get a taste of their power, but not a full meal.
And just before closing this review, a note on theme—an important note given the Star Wars IP. Unlimited feels reasonably Star Wars-ish. On the spectrum of abstract to representational, it sits in the middle. It's not as opaque and distant as Star Wars: The Card Game, nor is it as concrete and realized as Star Wars CCG or Star Wars: Destiny. Theme is found firstly in card art, secondarily in the split battlefield, and thirdly in the heroes/villains' epic actions. All else (units, upgrades, events, etc.) could have another IP pasted on it and still work well. To give an example, Vader's lightsaber exists in the game—which is 100% Star Wars. But it's 10x more likely that the lightsaber will be attached to a non-Vader character, e.g. Moff Tarkin, Stormtrooper, etc. rather than Vader, which doesn't feel very Star Wars. It could have been a sword attached to a warrior. Thus, players looking for deep thematic connections to the IP will need to stretch their imaginations a little, but not a lot.
In the end, Unlimited is a not a great game, but a solid game. It does everything simple and right without risking anything, making it widely accessible. Art and graphic design are superb. The rules are easily understood, even for children. Pace is great—back and forth, back and forth—leading to quick games. FFG throwing their crack team of developers at Unlimited, design is super tight. And Star Wars theme is present, just not deeply. But by being simple and risk averse—by having a corporate design mindset, Unlimited lacks that certain, special something that certain, special games have. It doesn't have a key, creative element - an X factor - which sets it apart on the market, besides the Star Wars IP and split battlefield. Unlimited thus comes recommended for families, fans of Star Wars (who likely will buy the game regardless of this review), and anyone looking for a good entry point into CCGs, TCGs, LCGs, etc. For me personally, Unlimited will occasionally hit the table when lighter fare is needed, perhaps to introduce friends or my son's friends to TCGs. But I will be looking to other games for richer, more dynamic expandable card game experiences.
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