Boardgame Bulletin 24-8 ~ I am assured “This is the Way” in The Mandalorian: Adventures (Cory Konieczka, Unexpected Games, 2024)

I am decidedly not a fan of the Di$ney $tar Wars franchise but, alas, the RockyMountainNavy Boys, and RMN T in particular, are. With summer winding down, it is time to start laying in games for our weekend family gaming nights this winter. With an eye towards trying to find a game that RMN T would want to play The Mandalorian: Adventures by Cory Konieczka from Unexpected Games (2024) is now part of the RMN Gaming Collection.

Be warned: This post is a kind of unboxing reaction. I am writing this post after opening the box, looking over the “open” components (some components are hidden in secret envelopes), and reading the rulebook. The Unexpected Games website also host two video tutorials if you are more of an audio-visual learner. I am also not a huge fan of The Mandalorian; I watched the first two (?) episodes and left it to the RMN Boys after that. This means I am not steeped in the lore and likely to miss most—if not all—fan service easter eggs in the game.

The Way in three steps

The very small subtitle for The Mandalorian: Adventures at the bottom of the box front says, “A Game of Daring Missions for 1-4 Players.” This is repeated on the box back which says, “Work together to complete thrilling missions inspired by Season 1 of The Mandalorian.” It goes almost all-but-unstated, but The Mandalorian: Adventures is indeed a cooperative game; the closest the box comes to saying so is on the back under Step 2 of the game description. The three Steps are:

1. “Be the Hero – Play as The Mandalorian and his allies, each with their own deck of cards offering unique strategies.”
2. “Live the Adventure – Cooperate, fight enemies, and solve dilemmas to complete each missions’s objective.”
3. “Expand Your Horizons – Discover additional rules, components, and mission types – some featuring a hidden traitor!”

Serial adventures

Playing The Mandalorian: Adventures looks to be rather straight-forward. On your turn, you play two Skill Cards, resolve events, and refill your hand. The game is marketed as playable by 1-4 players ages 12 and up (likely for the reading requirements). Playing solo is easy—the one player plays all characters. If there are more players than characters for a given mission the table must decide on playing in one of two other game modes; either Sandbox Mode (use any characters in any number regardless of mission set-up instructions) or in Shared Character Mode (one combined Skill Card deck with individual players controlling the character whose Skill Card is played). Clunky, but workable? Shared Character Mode could also work with younger players. Here in Casa de Rocky we usually play with two players and will most likely not have to face a game with younger gamers or more than two players.

Secretly cooperative

Interestingly, while The Mandalorian: Adventures is a cooperative game the very last rule before turning the players loose to play is called “Communications and Hidden Information.” This rule sets out conditions for not cooperating. This short rule is worth quoting at length:

You can talk about cards in your hand, but you cannot show them to other players. Likewise, when you secretly look at a threat, you cannot show it to other players, but you can say whatever you like (even lie about it).

All cards in discard piles are open information, so you can examine them at any time. You cannot examine cards in the event deck; you can only see the icon on the back of the top card.

“Communication and Hidden Information,” p. 13

This single rule does not seem to be enough to make The Mandalorian: Adventures a semi-cooperative game…but I question if that is where the game is going. I guess I will learn more as we play.

How many episodes?

The Mission Book for The Mandalorian: Adventures has four scenarios/missions. While that may seem limited, there appears to be sufficient variety in characters or skill level used in each game/mission to provide some wider variety of replayability. I also do not know what is in the Secret Envelopes so cannot say (at this point) what, if any, impact they have on play. It does look obvious that Di$ney is almost certain to have more mission books ready to market to gullible $tar Wars fans players of The Mandalorian: Adventures.

There is also the Guide Deck which the rules for The Mandalorian: Adventures describes as, “The guide deck introduces new rules and cards to the game at a fun and manageable pace” (Rulebook, p. 1). Does that make The Mandalorian: Adventures a (literal) guided or programmed adventure story? Again, there is tremendous marketing potential in selling special micro-Guide Decks tailored for a particular scenario episode or scene.

Season premier

With the programmed adventure concept looming, it is very likely that RMN T and myself will not kick-off The Mandalorian: Adventures until the true RMN Fall-Winter Gaming Season begins in late September or October. Once we start, I will let you know more about the game in an effort to decide if “This is the Way” to great gaming fun.

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