Star Wars Shatterpoint: the First Year

Shatterpoint, our favorite Star Wars skirmish game, celebrates its first birthday! Over the first year, Atomic Mass Games released 19 squad packs, two terrain packs, and one additional mission pack. I  had an opportunity to sit down with Michael Plummer from Atomic Mass Games and discuss the first year, grand tournaments, and the game’s future.

Twelve new packs have been announced for release before Q1 2025, making the sophomore year look fantastic. The roadmap for Shatterpoint’s second year is generously packed with the Ghost crew, new support packs, and many characters to flesh out underdeveloped factions. With such an intense wave of releases on the horizon, the Shatterpoint community has every reason to be excited about the future of this skirmish game.

Michael Plummer Talks Shatterpoint

Michael Plummer, AMG game designer who worked closely with the development, launch, and continuing design of Star Wars Shatterpoint joined me for a discussion for the one year anniversary. Plummer generously took time out of playtesting to talk Star Wars and the development process.

Tom: How has the competitive scene evolved since the launch of Shatterpoint, and what adjustments have been made to the game to support high-level play in the grand tournaments?

Plummer: I think that we’ve seen a very natural progression of this competitive scene for Shatterpoint. When the game first comes out, it needs time to build momentum and community. People need to become knowledgeable about the game, get interested, and bring their friends into it. This process requires time for the community to grow, where people want to play and spend their weekends at events. Over time, we’ve seen this start to shift. Initially, there were many ‘learn to play’ events and introductory sessions in stores. Now, anecdotally and from observing Facebook pages and Discords, more stores are hosting monthly tournaments. They have events like ‘Third Saturday of the Month: Shatterpoint Event,’ and people come out to spend their day playing games.

I think we’re starting to find a balance where competitive Shatterpoint fits naturally into stores. Personally, I don’t see a huge difference between competitive and casual gaming. However, the competitive scene is gaining traction for those interested in it. It’s starting to establish a natural cadence in stores.

You asked about what adjustments the game makes to support high-level and GT (Grand Tournament) play. We’re fortunate because we knew early on that we wanted a tournament packet ready when the game launched. We prioritized having both the standard and premier formats done for release, so they were available right when the game was released. As we’ve transitioned into grand tournaments, it has been easy for us because we started with a tournament packet that met our needs. The game is only a year old, and we entered the release knowing what we wanted our tournaments to look like, so we haven’t had to adjust much. However, we are open to making adjustments if needed in the future.

Tom: When designing the game, was everything centered around competitive play, especially in the first year? How has feedback shaped future expansions? Coming from games like A Song of Ice and Fire there is not a lot on the errata comparatively.  I’ve played a few others that have had complete ‘redo’ of rulebooks. Adjustments to Dooku if I remember correctly is the only large change.

Plummer: So, there is the Dooku issue that changed the timing, and that’s just something that we missed. We’re human and make mistakes from time to time. Ideally, we don’t want to make a lot of errata. Our goal is for the cards to do what they say. If we’re not doing much errata, that’s generally a good thing. If you’re asking in reference to other games that have periodic updates to bring things back up to date (power creep), we’re still too early for that. The game has been out for a year, and while we know what’s coming down the pipeline, we don’t want to jump on changes too quickly.

If something is actually broken—like it breaks the game—we will address it. You’ll see some errata coming up soon. There’s quite a few changes around several units to clarify the language between whether units or characters are engaged. These are small adjustments to make everything super clear so that when you read it, it does what the card says. We’re happy to make these kinds of changes. As far as gameplay balance, we’re still ahead of where that needs to be. We’re starting to think about it and talk about it, but we’re not at a place where we want to make big sweeping changes yet because the game is still very young.

If you make changes too quickly based on community feedback, people don’t get the chance to overcome those problems in the meta. Then you end up in a constant cycle of making errata and updates to fix relatively small problems.

There’s also a bandwidth problem: do we go back and fix everything from the past or keep moving forward? Most of the time, we’ll address it when needed, but we are careful not to react too quickly, ensuring things take their natural course.

Tom: When designing are you looking at the current meta, adjusting for popular play styles? Inventing new things to temper the current strategy?

Plummer: We observe the competitive meta and what play styles people enjoy. When the game releases, it gets played extensively, and certain strategies become popular. Some of it is self-fulfilling prophecy, and some of it is just because those strategies are good.

We can’t pivot quickly to fix current meta issues because we’re working on content a few years out. We hope to release content that addresses current issues, but it takes time. The release schedule is planned, so there will always be a balance between addressing immediate issues and following the planned content rollout. If something is broken, we will adjust quickly, but otherwise, we follow a planned cadence.

With many packs coming out, the diversity in play styles will increase. Over the last year, the breadth of options has expanded. Clone Wars era, Galactic Civil War, and more offer wider options as the game grows. Squad building and the tactics system allow for many permutations, and more content is coming to widen those options.

Tom: With competitive play established, what strategies and preparations do you recommend for players looking to compete in major tournaments?

Plummer: This is going to be a lot of very personal advice from Plummer, so take this with a grain of salt. My number one piece of feedback for playing in a tournament is to get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast on the day of the event. The last thing you want is to be tired, groggy, and cranky because you didn’t eat, which affects your thinking. Taking care of your basic human needs is super, SUPER important.

But I don’t think that’s what you’re actually asking here. I’m really big on the idea of focused practice. A lot of this comes from the belief that I’m not necessarily competing against the other people in the room; I’m competing against myself. I am on a journey of improvement to get better at whatever I’m focusing on.

A lot of this comes from the belief that I’m not necessarily competing against the other people in the room; I’m competing against myself. I am on a journey of improvement …

In Shatterpoint, for example, I might notice that I often clump up my characters in the middle of the table, regardless of what the map for the next struggle looks like. I have a tendency to ball up in the center. So, when I play my next five games, I set a goal: I will not ball up in the center of the table. I will try to spread out and play the edges. Whether I win or lose, if I didn’t clump up in the middle, I consider it a win because I achieved my focus practice goal.

I try to focus on things I need to improve rather than things I’m already strong at. If I’m an excellent basketball player who makes every three-pointer, I don’t need to practice three-pointers; I need to practice layups. I pick one thing I’m bad at and try to improve it during the game, setting a measurable goal.

This approach removes the pressure of winning and gives me a goal I can meet. I can’t necessarily control if I win because my opponent might be better, make better decisions, or have better dice rolls. Shatterpoint has a lot of variance that can lead to bad outcomes. But if I’m doing focused practice and gauging myself based on my improvement, I feel like I’m truly becoming a competitor. Over time, I’ll naturally develop better tactics, like spreading around the side of the table instead of bunching up in the middle.

So, my biggest tip is to practice with intent, focus practice, and aim to improve yourself rather than just winning the event. Only one person can win, but everyone can improve.

My biggest tip is to practice with intent, focus practice, and aim to improve yourself…

Tom: How is the development team addressing feedback from the competitive community to ensure Shatterpoint remains balanced and engaging for all factions?

Plummer: Competitive is one part of it, right? The feedback from the competitive community is weighed the same as the feedback from the casual community, and we look at everything people are saying. We’re always trying to ensure that we’re keeping the game on the right path. The biggest way we do this is by being present in all the Discords and Facebook groups. We’re lurking there, reading the posts, and we know what people are saying about the game. We’re not deaf to it. We don’t always respond, but we’re here; we hear it and see it.

It can be hard because sometimes that feedback is from someone who had a bad game and had a really bad time. They might complain loudly about what went wrong for them. That’s not to say their complaint isn’t valid or that they didn’t have a bad experience. But we don’t want to knee-jerk react to one person saying they had a bad experience playing against XYZ and immediately change XYZ.

One of the big things we do is look at all of that feedback and figure out what is actionable. We determine what from that feedback is a problem worth solving, and then we try to come up with solutions. We bring those solutions to our play testers. We choose play testers from many different walks of life. Some are super competitive, playing tournament games, and others play at home with their family once a month.

We present our solutions, explaining the problem we’re trying to solve and our proposed solution, then ask for their feedback.

We measure that feedback against what people are saying in the wider community, finding where our testers’ feedback aligns with the community’s feedback and our own internal findings. We try to make corrections based on these vectors rather than focusing on one specific group.

There can be something considered a “problem” for people playing in a certain way, which isn’t necessarily a problem for others. We’re constantly trying to ensure we’re hearing all community feedback and filtering it through a holistic approach to the game, tending our garden, as Schick (Will Schick) loves to say. We aim to find solutions to existing problems to keep the smoothest game experience for everyone, whether competitive or just playing at home.

The thing about competitive players and their feedback is that they’re often willing to figure things out. They’re on forums, in discords, and invested in finding answers because this is a lifestyle game for them. However, casual players are not digging through rules forums or finding discord answers. So, we want to make sure we’re not changing too much too quickly, that answers are easily found, and that the changes make sense and solve real problems for the whole community.

Tom: With current objective packs, do you see the game maintaining this focus, or might it evolve to include story-related or different mission types?

Plummer: I can’t say too much about this because we’re about to have a lot of cool stuff announced soon. I think that in the standard game of Shatterpoint, there’s always going to be a pretty strong objective focus. That’s kind of what the game is written for. The core rules talk about how you contest and control objectives and how scoring works. There’s always going to be some kind of objective portion of the game.

As far as different ways to play and different missions, we have a whole slew of stuff in store. We have a bunch of great, cool narrative stuff that is asymmetric or offers different ways to play. That’s going to be coming down the pipe, and we’ll have a lot more exciting stuff to say about that later this year in July. We have a lot of cool stuff planned, and we’ll be announcing more at our Ministravaganza 2024.

*(NOTE: at the time of posting Ministravaganza landing page shows 2023 schedule)

Tom: How does the development team plan to keep Shatterpoint fresh and exciting for both new and veteran players as the game grows?

Plummer: We’re going to continue introducing favorite characters who will do new and exciting things. We aim to create new interactions between different characters and squads, offering more opportunities to build the squad of your dreams and make it do something cool, fun, and unique on the battlefield. Through the addition of game formats, mission packs, and different ways to play, there’s an almost endless pool of possibilities for the game.

Now that we’ve got this first year under our belt and completed the first three mission packs, the road ahead is wide open with so many cool things we can do. In July, we’ll have a lot of new stuff to showcase, and there’s even more I’ve started working on for the following year. There’s no shortage of neat and different ideas and fun ways to play the game. I don’t see it getting boring anytime soon.

Tom: Nor do I. Are you acquiring every squad pack or you having to pick and choose?

Plummer: I’ve been picking up everything. There are things that I’m super excited for and things that I’ve been waiting to come out for a month, a year, because I’m excited about playing them and getting them on the table just just like everyone else. We (the development team) get just as excited as everyone who plays the game. Excited about our favorite things, for example I love the crew of the ghost.

Tom: I love the rebels crew too.

Plummer: The Ghost crew is coming out soon and is very exciting for me and I can’t wait to add on the table and playing games with them. I haven’t played it since it was in play testing. You gotta do what’s exciting for you right, especially when doing reviews and content.

Tom: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today.

Community

The Star Wars fans have been a light-hearted and accepting bunch (despite a few online trolls), and the Shatterpoint community goes above and beyond to create an environment where everyone feels welcome. This spirit is evident in their enthusiastic sharing of painted miniatures, announcement, terrain setups, and more.

One standout feature of the Shatterpoint community is players showcasing their creative setups. Many users share their intricate terrain setups, whether it is replicating Star Wars locations or creating entirely new environments to enhance the gameplay experience. These shares usually spark conversations and inspire others to try their hand at crafting and sharing.

Painted miniatures are another popular topic. The community will often post pictures of their meticulously painted figures. Ranging from custom color schemes to modifications, to even the most amateur painter is met with encouragement and praise. There is constructive feedback when asked, but this is intended to help improve techniques.

The community’s dedication does not stop with the visual arts. It extends into content creation as well. Numerous podcasts and websites are dedicated to discussing strategies, game mechanics, and the latest news for Shatterpoint. From podcasts like the Hello There! Podcast to a deep dive about a single dice roll article. These can serve as a valuable resource for both new and experienced players creating excitement and adding to the community comradery.

Shatterpoint Timeline

Take a look at the plethora of releases we enjoyed over the past year!

Factions and Affiliations

While Star Wars Shatterpoint does not have factions, the tags, alliances, and era will help define squads. The Galactic Republic features the Jedi and clones troopers, focusing on synergy, defense (hunker), and versatile force abilities. The Separatist Alliance best with their overwhelming numbers and utilizing strategic chained moves.

The Galactic Empire boasts Sith Lords and Stormtroopers who utilize oppressive tactics and firepower, taking their own troops and sacrificing them for the Empire and glory. Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance relies on mobility, hit-and-run tactics, and a bit of deck control to sway the battle.

The Nighsisters use dark magic and agility to destroy their opponents. The Bounty Hunters bring much-needed diversity to fit into any faction/list with their adaptability, firepower, and unique abilities. Finally, the Mandalorian include advanced weaponry and armor. They are resilient and have combat prowess. Each faction offers distinct playstyles, allowing for some great battles in the Star Wars universe.

Shatterpoint Promos

Everyone loves a classy foil card. Star Wars Shatterpoint has several promos that have snuck under the radar unless you are in the competitive scene. Here is what you missed:

Initiation Kit and Launch Day

There were five foils that launched June 2nd, 2023 with the game. Asajj, Maul, Anakin, and Ahsoka all receive foiled initiative cards for learning the game at host game stores and a special foil Shatterpoint card for reservations and launch day pick ups.

Adepticon 2024

Adepticon saw an explosion of possible promos through the AMG prize wall. Shatterpoint had Acrylic measuring tools, acrylic momentum track, and custom dice colors available in green (defense) and copper (attack). Also available were beautiful themed bumpers for your character cards and two different play mats (not pictured.)

1 of 4

Foiled promos included:

Tournaments

With over 700 events, 2k plus players, and 10000 games Star Wars Shatterpoint takes third place in Longshanks for its first year. With a bevy of tournaments and events at Adepticon 2024.

Using the data provided by Longshanks we can get an idea of the first year meta and what primary units stand out. It is worth keeping in mind the data provided is only as accurate as those inputting it. However, there are standouts:

• Count Dooku – 55% win rate
• Darth Vader, Jedi Hunter (Vader 1) – 54% win rate
• General Grievous – 53% win rate
• Mother Talzin -53% win rate
• Luminara Unduli – 52% win rate
• Mace Windu – 51% win rate

There are a variety of tournament formats that have emerged over the past year. The most notable being the Premier Showdown. This format has a predetermined amount of Swiss rounds depending on the amount of entries/participants. A smaller to medium tournament is three rounds. In this format you bring four squads and build your strike team based on what you brought, using each squad at least once in the event.

Liam Jordan, Goonhammer contributor, remarked, “Going into a new system you never know what to expect but the best bit of this was getting just to play a bunch of games and meet a bunch of new people.” This sentiment was echoed throughout Liam’s event.

In addition to Premier Showdown, a Team Premier Showdown was presented at Adepticon 2024. Each team member would bring two squads, and then no squad could be repeated matching for each round. You got to play every combo by tournament’s end. The team tournament was very well received as a casual and fun experience. There have also been thematic tournaments where you build squads around specific tags or narrative themes like One with the Force. It has players explore unique aspects to the game the current meta may not.

Errata and Rules Updates

You can find the most up to date rule book here.

Gar Saxon, Merciless Commander Stance Card

On Concentrated Assault stance there should be a horizontal white line on the bottom row.

Shifting Priorities Mission Card

Clarification for the special rules and rolling for priority token placement.

Count Dooku, Separatist Leader Unit Card

Updates text for Surely You Can Do Better. Adding clarification that the modification that happens is during the ‘Modify Dice Roll’ step.

MagnaGuard Unit Card

Replaces text of Bodyguard ability so all allied Primary and Secondary characters within range 2 have Cover 1.

Dark Trooper Unit Card

Coordinated Fire has the wrong icons. Replacing the innate icon with a strain and reactive icons respectively.

You can find the most up to FAQ and Errata here.

To Infinity and Beyond!

As Shatterpoint marks its first birthday, the community has a lot to celebrate and even more to look forward to. In its first year, Atomic Mass Games rolled out an impressive 19 squads, two terrain packs, and an additional mission pack, adding rich layers to the gameplay.

Looking ahead, the announcement of twelve new packs set for release before Q1 2025 promises an even more thrilling second year. With the introduction of the beloved Ghost crew, new support packs, and characters to enhance underdeveloped factions, there’s plenty to be excited about. This wave of upcoming releases signals a bright future for the game. It’s clear that Star Wars Shatterpoint is more than just a skirmish game; it’s a vibrant community where players uplift one another and the game itself.