Undaunted 2200: Callisto Game Review

Written by Dan York

The core of the rules will be familiar to fans of previous instalments, each player has a number of fighting squads in a combat scenario and a small deck representing your ability to command those units around the battlefield to achieve their objectives first. At the start of each round, players bid for initiative, spending a card in their hand to try to act first, before using the rest of their hand to take actions. These include moving units, capturing objectives and rolling dice for combat. Most scenarios can be completed by either capturing certain key objectives or by inflicting enough casualties on your foe to rout them. 

Playing Undaunted 2200: Callisto Game Review

Deckbuilding is a big part of Callisto, you can spend actions to add more of a squad’s designated card into your deck, letting that squad act more often, but those cards also act as the life of your forces, taking damage by permanently removing a card from your deck until they are eventually defeated. The Undaunted system pushes you to make tough decisions between when to advance your game plan and when to bolster your deck. 

What an excellent game! The asymmetry between the two factions; The Breakers, a squad of hardened miners on the defence against The LFA, the galactic governmental authority is fully sold through both the gameplay and the production. Each side plays differently, one team consisting of sturdy generalist units with a focus on careful positioning and group tactics, the other dominated by domineering mechs, literally standing tall above the board, stomping their way towards objectives. The mechanical differences are strong, but the skirmishes always feel balanced and close, even if some maps favour one side sometimes.

The standee mech units are a boon to table presence, thematically they drive the story and set the two factions up as different, while mechanically they also pose a unique set of deckbuilding options, with their movement and combat abilities each being tied to different cards. Another wrinkle in the fabric of each fight.

The decision to use eight dedicated boards instead of a modular system means that there’s so much creativity in the layouts and objectives, the artwork reflects hazards and terrain to help explain related rules visually, and the maps feel like they were designed with a purpose. A new mechanic to the series is elevation, different types of hit dice are rolled in combat based on the relative height between the combatants. This adds an extra strategic layer to each decision and how you go about navigating the terrain. 

Undaunted 2200: Callisto Game Review

The only major criticism I have is with the rulebook. It’s not perfect, there’s some unclear text, some rules that go underexplained and a few times when we had to guess how we were supposed to interact with some objects in play. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s a shame and could make getting through a first campaign somewhat annoying.

There’s not enough time in the day or space on the page to tell you all the things I love about this game. The asymmetric gameplay and tight deckbuilding decisions make for an amazing two-player experience. There is the option for four players, which is also a great time for commanders who prefer to share the battlefield with a partner. The maps are all interesting and well thought out and the replay value of playing for the other side is strong. 

Should you play Undaunted 2200? We consider it to be a must-play game. Exceptional asymmetric deckbuilding skirmish gameplay, the campaign is a manageable length and there are so many strategies to explore.

You should try this if you liked Undaunted: Normandy, where Undaunted 2200: Callisto is perfect for people who loved the tight campaign of the WWII classic but want the asymmetry cranked up a notch.

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The Box

Designer: David Thompson & Trevor Benjamin

Publisher: Osprey Games

Time: 45-60 minutes

Players: 2-4

Ages: 14+

Price: £65

• 68 Breaker cards
• 67 LFA cards
• 21 Personnel counters
• 42 Control markers
• 7 Mech standees
• 3 Rulebooks
• 32 Combat barkers
• 12 Dice

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